WITH  THE   ALL! 
TO  .i'PEKLN  *- 


. 


I 


A  STORY 

OF  THE   RELIEF 

OF  THE 
LEGATIONS 


WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 


THE  TIGER  SEIZED  HIM  BY  THE  SHOULDER. 


WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 

A  TALE  OF 
THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  LEGATIONS 


BY 


G.   A.   HENTY 


Author  of  "With  Roberts  to  Pretoria  "  "  Redskin  and  Cowboy 
"  With  the  British  Legion  "  &c. 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    WAL    PA  GET 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1903 


of 


COPYBIOHT,  1903,  BY 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS. 
Published  September,  1903. 


GIFT 


THE    CAXTON     PRESS 
NEW  YORK  CITY.  U.  S.  A. 


Hss 


\1  r  "  / 


PREFACE 


THE  campaign  which  ended  with  the  relief  of  the  Pekin 
Legations  is  unique  in  its  way,  carried  011  as  it  was  by  an 
army  made  up  of  almost  all  the  nationalities  of  Europe.  The 
quarrel  originated  in  the  rising  of  a  mob  of  ruffians  who 
were  known  by  us  under  the  name  of  Boxers.  The  move 
ment  spread  like  wildfire,  and  soon  developed  into  the  whole 
sale  massacre  of  the  missionaries  of  Northern  China.  The 
Empress,  seeing  the  formidable  nature  of  the  rising,  and 
hoping  to  gain  by  it  the  expulsion  of  all  foreigners  from  her 
dominions,  allied  herself  with  the  Boxers,  besieged  the 
various  Legations,  and  attacked  Tientsin,  which  stands  upon 
the  river  by  which  the  trade  with  Pekin  is  carried  on. 
Admiral  Seymour,  with  a  force  of  little  over  a  thousand  men, 
marched  to  the  relief  of  the  Legations.  The  railway,  how 
ever,  was  cut  both  before  and  behind  him,  and  after  severe 
fighting  he  retired  upon  a  Chinese  fortress  a  few  miles  from 
Tientsin,  where  he  maintained  himself  until  he  was  relieved 
by  another  force  which  had  arrived  by  sea  and  had  de 
stroyed  the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Tientsin  itself 
was  captured  by  the  allies  after  one  day's  hard  fighting,  and 
the  army  then  advanced  to  the  relief  of  the  Legations.  The 
opposition  they  met  with  was  trifling  in  comparison  with 
that  which  they  had  encountered  at  Tientsin,  and  they  arrived 
at  Pekin  not  a  moment  too  soon.  It  was  found  that  the 
Legations  had  been  very  hard  pressed,  some  of  them  having 


VI  PEEFACE 

been  destroyed  by  fire.  But  the  garrison  had  maintained  a 
heroic  defence,  aided  by  the  native  Christians  who  had 
escaped  the  massacre  and  taken  refuge  with  them,  and  who 
had  done  excellent  work  in  the  building  and  constant  repair 
of  the  defences,  sometimes  under  the  heavy  fire  of  the 
enemy.  The  Empress  had  fled,  but  negotiations  were  opened 
with  her  and  terms  of  peace  were  ultimately  agreed  to.  For 
the  particulars  of  the  campaign  I  have  relied  chiefly  upon 
The  War  of  the  Civilizations,  by  George  Lynch,  China  and 
the  Powers,  by  H.  C.  Thomson,  and  The  Siege  of  Pekin 
Legations,  by  the  Kev.  Koland  Allen,  M.  A. 

G.  A.  HENTY. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PA6B 

I.    SCHOOL, 1 

II.    THE  BOXERS 20 

III.  IN  DISGUISE 39 

IV.  A  RESCUE, 55 

V.    WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN, 76 

VI.     IN  PEKIN,            96 

VII.    FORTIFYING  THE  LEGATIONS, 110 

VIII.    A  PERILOUS  ADVENTURE, 184 

IX.    IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP, 148 

X.    A  MISSION, 180 

XI.    THE  FIGHT  AT  TIENTSIN, 211 

XII.     DELAYS 232 

XIII.  CAPTURING  THE  TAKU  FORTS,  ....  251 

XIV.  SURROUNDED 270 

XV.     RELIEF  IN  SIGHT, 286 

XVI.     THE  CAPTURE  OF  PEKIN, 303 

XVII.     THE  STORY  OF  THE  SIEGE, 322 

XVIII.    CONCLUSION,                337 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAOK 

"  THE  TIGER  SEIZED  HIM  BY  THE  SHOULDER,"                .         Fronti*  198 

REX  RESCUES  HIS  COISINS  FROM  THE  BoXERS,             ...  62 

REX  INTERROGATES  A  WOUNDED  BoXKR,             ....  100 

"  THEY  WERE  LOWERED  DOWN  ONE  AFTER  THE  OTHER,"           .  142 

"  REX'S  REVOLVER  CRACKED  OUT,"            170 

"THERE  WAS  A  LULL  OF  SURPRISE    THEN  A  CONFUSED  ,TA1>- 

BERING,  FOLLOWED  BY  SEVERAL  MUSKET-SHOTS,"       .        .  200 

"  BASIL  GUY  RAN  BACK  AND  BOUND  UP  HIS  WOUNDS,"       .         .  236 

"  THEIR  CAVALRY  CUT  UP  THE  FLYING  CHINESE,"    .                .  290 


Map  illustrating  the  Relief  of  the  Pekin  Legations,     Facing  p.  1 


WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 


CHAPTER  I 

SCHOOL 

WELL,  Rex,  how  do  you  think  you  will  like  school?" 
"  I  don't  know  very  much  about  it  yet,  Uncle. 
You  told  me  that  I  was  to  expect  to  be  bothered  and 
bullied  a  bit  just  at  first,  but  it  was  not  so  bad  as  I  supposed. 
I  was  asked  a  lot  of  questions,  and  when  I  said  I  had  been 
taken  to  China  when  I  was  a  year  old  and  lived  there  ever 
since,  they  gave  me  the  nickname  of  the  Heathen  Chinee  at 
once.  Of  course  I  did  not  mind  that  at  all.  You  told  me 
that  probably  they  would  give  me  a  nickname  of  some  sort, 
and  that  was  just  as  good  as  another.  Anyhow,  after  the 
first  two  days  they  let  me  alone.  I  came  off  better  than  some 
of  the  other  new  boys,  who  got  out  of  temper  to  begin  with; 
so  I  expect  it  is  all  over  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  now." 

"  I  expect  so,  Rex.  The  boy  who  takes  things  good-tem- 
peredly  is  soon  left  alone." 

The  speakers  were  Mr.  Bateman  and  his  nephew  Reginald, 
who  was  always  known  as  Rex.  They  had  landed  at  South 
ampton  a  month  before.  Mr.  Bateman,  who  was  a  member 
of  a  firm  of  merchants  at  Tientsin,  had  returned  to  England 
to  take  up  the  management  of  the  London  house,  the  senior 
partner  having  died.  Rex  was  the  son  of  James,  the  younger 
brother  of  the  two  remaining  partners.  As  soon  as  it  had 


2  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

been  arranged  that  the  elder  brother  should  return  to  Eng 
land,  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  take  Hex  with  him.  It 
had  for  some  time  been  a  settled  thing  that  the  boy  should 
come  home  for  three  or  four  years  in  order  to  associate  with 
English  boys  and  learn  their  ways,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  should  return  to  China  and  begin  to  learn  the  business. 
Robert,  now  the  chief  partner,  was  unmarried,  and  as  it  was 
therefore  probable  that  Rex  would  some  day  become  in  turn 
the  head  of  the  firm,  both  his  father  and  uncle  were  anxious 
that  he  should  be  prepared  as  far  as  possible  for  that  posi 
tion. 

Rex  would  have  been  sent  over  sooner  had  they  not  been 
afraid  that  he  might  altogether  forget  Chinese,  which  he 
now  spoke  as  well  as  English.  From  his  early  childhood  he 
had  been  principally  under  the  charge  of  a  Chinaman  named 
Ah  Lo,  who  had  been  chosen  from  among  the  Chinese  ser 
vants  for  that  post.  Ah  Lo  had  at  that  time  been  a  strong 
young  fellow  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  intelligent  and  good- 
tempered.  He  was  the  son  of  the  native  storekeeper,  and  the 
child  had  taken  to  him.  The  choice  had  been  a  good  one. 
The  lad  had  watched  over  his  charge  with  the  care  of  a 
woman.  He  regarded  it  as  a  great  honour  to  have  been 
chosen  for  the  post,  and  was  never  so  happy  as  when  he 
took  the  child  out,  perched  on  his  shoulder,  or  rowed  him 
about  in  a  sampan.  As  he  grew  up  Rex  had  to  spend  half 
of  his  time  at  his  books,  and  his  mother  kept  him  a  good 
deal  with  her,  as  it  was  as  necessary  that  he  should  speak 
English  perfectly,  and  receive  the  usual  education,  as  that 
he  should  speak  Chinese  perfectly.  And  then,  when  it  was 
decided  that  his  uncle  should  return  to  England,  it  was  at 
once  agreed  that  Rex  should  accompany  him. 

"  I  should  be  glad,"  his  father  said,  "  if  he  could  go  to  a 
great  public  school,  and  then  to  one  of  the  universities;  but 


SCHOOL  3 

there  are  two  objections  to  that  course.  In  the  first  place, 
when  he  was  finished  he  would  be  less  inclined  to  settle  down 
to  office  work  here ;  and  in  the  second  place,  he  would  entirely 
forget  Chinese.  He  might  pick  it  up  again,  but  he  would 
never  come  to  speak  it  like  a  native — an  accomplishment 
which  would  unquestionably  be  a  very  great  advantage  to 
him  in  many  ways.  You  and  I,  Robert,  can  get  on  fairly 
well,  but  we  help  our  Chinese  largely  with  pidgin  English, 
and  often  feel  the  disadvantage  of  not  being  able  to  talk 
fluently  to  the  people  in  their  own  language.  Of  course  I 
quite  agree  with  you  that  it  is  necessary  for  Rex  to  mix 
with  English  boys  of  his  own  age,  and  become  in  all  respects 
like  them,  but  I  am  sorry  to  think  that  in  four  years  he  will 
have  lost  a  great  deal  of  his  Chinese." 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  that  too,  James,  and  my  idea 
is  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  take  Ah  Lo  to  England 
with  us.  He  is  very  much  attached  to  the  boy,  and  the  boy 
to  him." 

"  Yes,"  the  other  said  doubtfully,  "  that  is  so ;  but  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  have  Ah  Lo  with  him  when  he  is  at 
school." 

"  Quite  impossible,  James ;  the  boy's  life,  even  if  it  could 
be  managed,  would  be  made  a  burden  to  him.  No,  I  should 
propose  that  Ah  Lo  should  remain  with  me.  He  is  a  useful 
fellow  in  many  respects,  and  when  Rex  is  engaged  with  his 
lessons,  he,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  can  turn  his  hand 
to  anything.  My  idea  is  that  we  arrange  with  the  master 
of  the  school  to  let  Rex  off  two  afternoons  and  evenings  in 
the  week.  He  could  then  meet  Ah  Lo  at  the  railway-station, 
or  at  some  other  place  a  little  distance  from  the  school,  and 
could  go  out  for  walks  with  him,  and  if  there  is  a  river,  go 
on  the  water,  or  make  an  excursion  by  rail.  In  that  way,  as 
they  would  be  together  for  five  or  six  hours  twice  a  week, 


4  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

Hex  could  keep  up  his  Chinese.  Of  course  I  should  choose 
some  school  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  London.  I  shall 
probably  take  a  house  eight  or  ten  miles  out  of  town,  near 
Surbiton,  or  somewhere  in  that  direction.  We  have  agreed 
that  Rex  cannot  go  to  one  of  the  great  public  schools,  as, 
although  perhaps  better  read  in  English  literature  and  history 
than  most  boys  of  his  age,  he  is  backward  in  Latin  and  mathe 
matics.  Still,  I  could  find  some  good  school,  say  within  ten 
or  fifteen  miles  of  my  house.  Moreover,  the  plan  I  suggest 
could  not  be  carried  out  at  a  public  school.  It  would  not  be 
permissible,  at  such  an  institution,  for  boys  to  break  through 
the  ordinary  routine,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  could  make 
the  arrangement  I  propose  at  what  you  may  call  a  good  school, 
other  than  Harrow,  or  Eton,  or  Winchester." 
lt  It  would  certainly  be  a  capital  plan,  Robert." 
"  Of  course  I  should  see  that  his  off-days  were  not  the  half- 
holidays,  because  we  want  him  to  learn  to  play  cricket  and 
football,  and  he  would  be  out  of  it  altogether  if  he  were  to 
lose  the  half -holidays.  I  see  no  reason  why  the  plan  should 
not  be  carried  out.  In  that  way  he  would  keep  up  the 
language,  and  at  the  same  time  would  take  part  in  the  games 
played  in  the  school.  In  winter  I  should  arrange  for  the  use 
of  a  comfortable  room  in  the  town,  where  they  could  sit  and 
talk.  I  shall  let  Ah  Lo  wear  his  native  clothes,  if  he  likes,  at 
my  place;  but  when  he  goes  to  meet  Rex  I  shall  put  him 
into  European  costume  and  make  him  twist  his  pigtail  up 
and  hide  it  under  his  hat.  If  any  of  Rex's  school  chums 
were  to  see  the  boy  about  with  a  Chinaman,  he  would  never 
hear  the  end  of  it." 

On  his  arrival  in  England  Mr.  Bateman  had  taken  a  fur 
nished  house  near  Surbiton,  and  had  made  the  arrangements 
he  wished  for  Rex  at  a  large  school  near  the  river,  some 
fifteen  miles  away.  Rex  had  now  returned  at  the  end  of  his 


SCHOOL  5 

first  fortnight.  He  was  soon  at  home  in  his  new  life,  and  ere 
long  became  very  popular  among  the  boys  of  his  own  age. 
His  good  temper  was  unfailing,  for  although  at  first  he  was 
somewhat  awkward  in  the  games,  he  very  speedily  picked 
them  up.  As  usual  with  new  boys,  he  had  one  or  two  fights, 
and  came  out  of  them  fairly  well.  Several  of  the  boys 
learned  boxing  from  a  sergeant  in  the  Guards,  who  came 
down  from  Windsor  twice  a  week  to  teach  them.  Rex  asked 
that  he  might  be  allowed  to  take  lessons,  and  his  uncle  readily 
agreed. 

"  Certainly  you  may  do  so,  Rex,  and  I  am  glad  to  find  that 
you  have  the  opportunity  of  learning  how  to  use  your  hands. 
It  is  a  valuable  accomplishment  for  anyone,  for  it  develops 
self-reliance  and  quickness  of  eye,  strengthens  the  muscles, 
and  improves  the  figure  and  carriage,  and  besides,  it  enables 
a  man  to  hold  his  own  in  any  circumstances;  lastly,  it  is 
of  special  benefit  to  anyone  living  abroad  and  liable  to  aggres 
sion  or  insult.  An  Englishman  who  can  box  well  is  a  match 
for  any  two  foreigners  knowing  nothing  of  the  art,  and  need 
not  fear  the  attack  of  any  one  man  unless  he  is  carrying 
firearms.  I  intended  to  propose  that  you  should  take  lessons 
in  the  holidays,  but  as  you  can  do  so  at  school,  by  all  means 
begin  at  once.  Keep  regularly  at  it,  and  the  last  year  before 
you  go  back  to  China  you  shall  have  lessons  from  one  of  the 
best  masters  I  can  find." 

Rex  found  himself  very  backward,  so  he  set  to  work  hard 
to  repair  his  deficiencies,  and  had  the  satisfaction,  at  the  end 
of  the  first  term,  of  getting  a  remove  into  a  higher  form, 
where  the  boys  were  for  the  most  part  about  his  own  age.  At 
first  many  questions  had  been  asked  as  to  the  reason  why  he 
was  allowed  to  get  off  school  two  afternoons  in  the  week ;  and 
when  he  said  that  as  he  would  return  to  China  when  he  left 
school,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  keep  up  a  knowledge 


6  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

of  the  language,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  amusement.  Once 
or  twice  in  his  walks  with  Ah  Lo  he  came  across  some  of  the 
boys,  who  were  fond  of  hunting  for  plants  or  insects,  and  he 
was  a  good  deal  chaffed  at  Ah  Lo's  appearance. 

"  I  thought  he  would  have  been  dressed  in  Chinese  clothes," 
said  one  of  his  friends,  "  with  little  turn-up-toe  shoes,  and 
a  skull-cap  with  a  peacock's  feather  in  it,  but  he  is  really 
quite  an  ordinary-looking  chap.  He  is  a  big  fellow,  and  of 
course  of  a  yellowish-brown  complexion,  with  queerly-shaped 
eyes,  which  make  him  look  as  if  he  squinted;  but  he  seems 
very  good-natured." 

"  He  has  got  a  pig-tail,  but  he  wears  it  under  his  coat,"  said 
another. 

"  I  should  think  that  he  would  be  an  awkward  customer  in 
a  tussle.  I  had  no  idea  the  Chinese  were  such  big  fellows, 
Bateman/' 

"  They  differ  in  height  in  some  of  the  Provinces,  but  a  great 
many  of  them  are  tall,  and  very  strong.  You  should  see 
them  loading  a  ship  or  carrying  things  through  the  streets. 
They  can  carry  a  good  deal  heavier  weight  than  most  English 
sailors.  They  are  generally  very  good-tempered,  but  they  get 
into  a  tremendous  state  of  excitement  sometimes,  and  holla 
and  shout  at  each  other  so,  that  you  would  think  they  would 
tear  each  other  to  pieces;  but  it  is  not  often  that  they  really 
come  to  blows." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  next  term  Ah  Lo  distinguished 
himself.  He  had  been  for  a  long  walk  up  the  river-bank  with 
Rex,  when  they  saw  three  of  the  boys  of  the  school  rowing. 
A  barge  was  coming  down,  towed  by  a  horse.  There  was 
plenty  of  room  inside  for  the  boat  to  pass,  and  the  rope  was 
trailing  in  the  water,  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  row  over 
it  the  man  who  was  riding  the  horse  suddenly  quickened  his 
pace.  The  rope  immediately  tightened,  and  catching  the  bow 


SCHOOL  7 

of  the  boat  turned  it  over,  throwing  the  boys  into  the  water. 
The  driver  and  a  bargee,  who  was  walking  on  the  bank  near 
them,  burst  into  shouts  of  loud  laughter.  The  boys  could  all 
swim,  and  as  the  overturned  boat  was  but  twelve  yards  from 
the  bank,  they  soon  clambered  up.  They  at  once  made  for 
the  driver  and  furiously  accused  him  of  upsetting  them  on 
purpose.  The  fellows  laughed  boisterously,  and  the  boys, 
losing  their  tempers,  made  a  rush  towards  them.  At  this 
moment  Ah  Lo  and  Rex  arrived  on  the  scene.  They  had 
witnessed  the  whole  affair,  and  had  run  up.  The  Chinaman, 
without  hesitation,  brought  his  stick  down  on  the  head  of  the 
driver  of  the  horse,  levelling  him  to  the  ground,  but  breaking 
the  weapon  in  his  hand.  The  bargee  made  a  sudden  rush. 
Ah  Lo  had  no  idea  of  fighting,  but  with  a  wild  shout  he  threw 
himself  upon  the  man,  striking,  shouting,  scratching,  and 
kicking. 

The  bargee  was  taken  wholly  by  surprise  at  such  a  novel 
assault,  and  stepped  farther  and  farther  back  till  Ah  Lo,  see 
ing  his  opportunity,  clasped  him  by  the  waist  and  hurled  him 
into  the  river. 

"You  bery  bad  man,"  he  exclaimed,  "  to  strikce  lillee  boy! 
You  upsettee  piccee  boat ;  you  comee  out  Ah  Lo  breakie  you 
head." 

The  bargee  stood  with  the  water  up  to  his  waist.  lie  did 
not  like  the  look  of  this  strange  adversary,  who  had,  more 
over,  allies  in  the  shape  of  four  boys,  all  of  whom  were  evi 
dently  prepared  to  take  their  part  in  the  fray. 

"  Tompkins,"  Rex  said,  "  you  might  as  well  swim  in  and 
get  those  two  oars  that  have  drifted  down.  You  cannot  be 
wetter  than  you  are.  and  if  these  fellows  want  any  more  the 
oars  would  come  in  wonderfully  handy." 

"  Xow  then,"  shouted  the  bargee  with  a  string  of  the 
strongest  possible  language,  "  how  long  are  you  going  to  keep 


8  WITH    THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

me  standing  here,  and  my  mate  a-lying  there  with  his  brains 
half  knocked  out  ?  " 

"  He  is  all  right,"  Rex  said ;  "  he  will  come  round  soon 
without  your  help,  I  dare  say.  He  will  have  a  lump  on  his 
head  to-morrow,  but  he  will  be  no  worse.  I  don't  think  he 
will  try  to  tighten  the  rope  and  upset  another  boat.  As  soon 
as  we  get  the  oars  you  can  come  ashore,  if  you  like,  and  see  to 
him." 

In  a  minute  or  two  Tompkins  landed  with  the  two  oars. 
Rex  gave  one  of  them  to  Ah  Lo,  and  took  the  other  himself. 
The  Chinaman  swung  it  round  his  head  like  a  windmill,  and 
then  nodded  with  a  satisfied  air. 

"  Now  the  sooner  you  three  get  the  boat  ashore  and  turn 
her  over  the  better,"  Rex  said.  "  There  is  no  fear  of  this 
fellow  interfering  with  us  again.  Now  you  can  come  ashore, 
bargee,  and  look  after  your  horse.  In  another  minute  the 
rope  will  pull  him  into  the  river  if  you  don't  mind. 

The  man  came  out  with  a  growl,  and  then  went  to  the 
horse  and,  taking  him  by  the  head,  led  him  up  along  the  bank 
until  the  stream  drifted  the  barge  alongside.  By  this  time 
his  companion  had  sat  up  and  was  looking  round  in  a  be 
wildered  way. 

"You  just  sit  where 'you  are,"  Rex  said,  "unless  you  want 
another  crack  on  the  head  worse  than  the  first.  Your  mate  is 
getting  the  barge  alongside.  It  does  not  always  pay,  you 
see,  to  play  tricks  on  boys." 

They  waited  until  the  others  had  got  the  water  emptied 
out  of  the  boat  and  put  into  the  river  again.  The  oars  were 
then  handed  in  to  them  and  they  started  down  the  river,  Rex 
and  Ah  Lo  walking  quietly  down  the  path.  The  bargee 
scowled  at  them  as  they  passed  him,  but  the  specimen  he  had 
had  of  the  Chinaman's  strength  deterred  him  from  making 
any  outward  demonstration. 


SCHOOL  9 

"  You  did  that  splendidly,  Ah  Lo,"  Hex  said.  "  I  had  no 
idea  that  you  were  so  tremendously  strong.  The  way  you 
chucked  him  into  the  river  astounded  me  as  much  as  it  did 
him." 

"  He  was  a  bad  man,"  the  Chinaman  said  quietly.  "  What 
he  want  to  upset  boat  for  ? " 

"  He  will  be  cautious  how  he  tries  again,"  Rex  laughed, 
"  unless  he  sees  that  the  towing-path  is  quite  clear  of  anyone 
who  might  interfere." 

Hitherto  Rex  had  been  a  good  deal  chaffed  by  the  boys 
about  this  Chinaman,  but  from  this  time  forward  Ah  Lo  was 
always  spoken  of  with  respect ;  and  indeed  a  subscription  was 
got  up  to  present  him  with  a  handsome  silver-mounted  stick 
in  place  of  the  one  he  had  broken.  There  was  general 
satisfaction  at  the  defeat  of  the  bargee,  for  it  was  not  the 
first  time  that  boats  had  been  purposely  upset,  and  there  was 
a  standing  feud  between  the  boys  and  these  bullies  of  the 
river. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Rex  was  in  any  way  distinguished  in 
his  progress  with  his  studies.  He  was  on  the  modern  side  of 
the  school,  for  his  uncle  did  not  wish  him  to  waste  his  time  in 
learning  Latin  and  Greek,  which  could  be  of  no  possible  use 
to  him  in  a  career  in  China.  In  his  English  subjects  he 
made  fair  progress,  and  maintained  a  good,  though  by  no 
means  a  high,  position  in  his  form.  In  all  sports,  however, 
he  took  a  prominent  place  among  the  boys  of  his  own  age. 
Accustomed  to  take  swimming  exercise  daily,  he  was,  when 
fifteen,  the  fastest  swimmer  in  the  school.  He  won  several 
prizes  in  the  athletic  sports,  and  had  a  good  chance  of  getting 
into  the  second  eleven  at  cricket.  It  was  considered  certain, 
too,  that  he  would  have  a  place  in  the  second  football  team. 
Before  he  left,  at  sixteen,  he  had  gained  both  these  objects  of 
his  ambition,  and  it  was  generally  considered  that  he  might 


10  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

even  win  a  place  in  the  first  football  team  in  the  following 
season. 

"  You  would  be  light  for  it,"  the  captain  said,  "  but  you  are 
so  fast  and  active  that  you  would  be  more  useful  than  many 
of  the  fellows  who  are  a  good  deal  heavier  than  you  are." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  am  not  going  to  return  after  this  term,  but 
my  time  is  up.  I  have  been  nearly  four  years  away  from  my 
people  now,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  at  work." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  not  a  bad  life  out  there  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  Of  course  it  is  hot,  but  one  is  indoors  most  of 
the  day,  and  they  do  all  they  can  to  make  the  houses  cool. 
The  office  shuts  up  early.  After  that  one  takes  a  bath  and 
puts  on  flannels,  and  goes  for  a  ride  or  a  row  on  the  river. 
Of  course  I  could  not  do  much  that  way  then,  but  I  have  been 
so  much  on  the  water  here  that  it  will  be  much  jollier  now." 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  have  much  to  do  with  the  Chi 
nese?" 

"  They  work  as  porters  and  that  sort  of  thing,  but  other 
wise  we  do  not  see  much  of  them.  The  native  town  is  quite 
separate  from  the  British  portion,  and  it  is  not  often  that 
Europeans  enter  it.  I  expect  that  they  do  so  even  more  sel 
dom  now,  for  my  father's  last  letter  tells  me  that  there  is  a 
general  feeling  of  disquiet,  and  that  letters  from  missionaries 
up  the  country  say  the  same  thing.  But  our  officials  at 
Pekin  do  not  seem  to  be  at  all  uneasy.  My  father  says  that 
you  might  as  well  try  to  drive  a  wooden  peg  into  a  stone  as 
to  get  the  officials  at  Pekin  to  believe  anything  that  they 
don't  want  to  believe.  That  is  one  reason  why  I  want  to  be 
off  as  soon  as  I  can,  for  if  things  look  more  serious  my  father 
might  write  and  say  that  I  had  better  stay  here  for  a  time 
to  see  how  matters  turn  out,  and  naturally  if  there  is  a  row  I 
should  not  like  to  miss  it." 

"  It  would  be  very  hard,"  the  other  said  approvingly,  "  if 


SCHOOL  11 

there  was  a  row  and  you  were  kept  out  of  it.  Of  course  it 
would  be  soon  over,  the  Chinese  would  never  stand  against 
European  troops." 

"  I  don't  suppose  they  would,  Milton ;  but  they  are  plucky 
enough  in  their  way,  and  they  are  not  a  bit  afraid  of  death. 
My  uncle  says  that  he  hears  they  have  got  no  end  of  rifles 
and  guns — good  ones,  you  know;  not  the  old  gimcrack  ones 
they  used  to  have." 

"  Look  how  the  Japs  thrashed  them,  Bateman." 
"  Yes,  but  it  was  from  no  want  of  pluck  on  the  part  of  the 
Chinese.  The  Japs  were  well  disciplined,  while  the  Chinese 
had  no  discipline  at  all.  Besides,  what  was  worse,  they  had 
no  officers  worth  anything.  All  appointments  there  are  given 
by  exams.,  and  as  everyone  who  is  not  an  ass  knows,  a  fellow 
who  is  awfully  good  at  books  may  be  no  good  whatever  as  a 
soldier.  Look  at  our  sixth  form.  Why,  among  the  captains 
and  monitors,  how  many  of  them  would  make  an  officer? 
Peebles  is  short-sighted,  Johnstoiie  is  lame,  and  there  is  not 
one  of  them  who  is  any  good  at  football  or  cricket ;  while 
many  fellows  who  are  not  so  high  would  make  infinitely 
better  officers.  Well,  it  is  like  that  with  everything  in  China. 
The  great  thing  there  is  for  a  man  to  acquire  what  is  called  a 
classical  style — something  the  same,  you  know,  as  Cicero 
writes  in  and  Demosthenes  talked.  The  Romans  and  Greeks 
were  both  pretty  longheaded,  but  they  never  thought  of  ap 
pointing  either  of  these  men  as  generals  in  the  field.  Why, 
look  at  our  head;  he  is  choke-full  of  learning.  Well,  if  he 
had  lived  in  China  he  would  have  been  made  either  an 
admiral  or  a  general.  Just  fancy  him  with  his  spectacles,  a 
skull-cap  with  a  peacock's  feather,  and  flowing  robes,  peering 
vaguely  about  him  on  the  look-out  for  an  enemy.  How  can 
you  expect  fellows  to  fight  who  are  officered  by  men  of  that 
sort?" 


12  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"But  our  army  is  officered  by  men  who  have  passed 
exams." 

"  Yes,  but  at  any  rate  the  exams,  for  the  army  are  not  very 
difficult,  and  there  is  time  for  them  to  play  as  well  as  work. 
Still,  I  know  my  uncle  thinks  that  it  is  about  the  worst  way 
that  could  have  been  chosen  for  the  selection  of  officers,  and 
that  in  the  next  war  we  get  into  there  will  be  no  end  of 
blunders." 

"  It  is  likely  enough  that  there  will  be ;  but  there  is  one 
thing  you  must  remember,  and  that  is  that,  fortunately,  the 
fellows  who  '  muz '  at  school  are  not  the  sort  of  fellows  who 
go  in  for  army  examinations.  They  go  into  the  church,  or  to 
the  bar,  or  as  masters  in  schools,  or  things  of  that  sort.  Look 
at  us  here.  Lots  of  the  fellows  in  the  cricket  and  football 
teams  are  intended  for  the  army,  and  I  suppose  it  is  the  same 
in  other  schools,  as  it  is  from  them  that  the  officers  are  drawn. 
I  don't  say  that  there  mayn't  be  a  few  of  what  you  may  call 
the  grinders ;  still,  certainly  the  bulk  of  them  are  not  the  sort 
of  men  who  would  ever  set  the  Thames  on  fire  if  it  came  to 
only  brain  work." 

"Have  you  ever  thought  of  going  into  the  army,  Bate- 
man?" 

"  No,  because  I  have  a  line  ready  cut  out  for  me.  I  think 
a  fellow  is  a  fool  who  wants  to  take  up  a  fresh  line  for  himself 
instead  of  taking  that  where  he  is  certain,  if  he  is  steady  and 
so  on,  to  do  well;  and  in  the  next  place,  when  one  is  an  only 
son,  as  I  am,  I  think  that,  even  putting  aside  the  question  of 
doing  well,  it  is  his  duty  to  help  as  far  as  he  can  to  take  the 
burden  of  the  work  off  his  father's  shoulders  as  he  gets  on 
in  life." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  you  are  right,  Bateman.  That  is 
the  way  to  look  at  it,  though  it  isn't  everyone  who  has  the 
sense  to  do  it.  As  I  have  got  two  elder  brothers  I  am  free  to 


SCHOOL  13 

choose  my  own  line,  and  shall,  if  I  can  pass,  go  into  the  army ; 
if  not,  I  shall  emigrate.  I  have  got  grit  and  muscle  enough 
to  do  as  well  as  most  fellows  in  that  way,  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  with  good  health  and  spirits  it  would  not  be  a  bad 
sort  of  life  at  all.  If  I  manage  to  pass  we  may  possibly  meet 
out  in  China  some  day.  There  are  rows  in  that  part  of  the 
world  every  few  years,  and  although  from  all  descriptions  of 
the  country  campaigning  there  must  be  unpleasant  work,  at 
least  it  would  be  a  change  and  an  interesting  experience."' 

"  Well,  Milton,  if  you  are  out  there  we  shall  be  very  likely 
to  meet,  for  any  force  going  towards  Pekin  would  be  sure  to 
pass  through  Tientsin,  and  if  that  were  the  case  I  should  try 
to  go  with  it  as  interpreter.  However,  I  hope  there  won't 
be  any  rows,  for  though  in  the  treaty  towns  we  should  no 
doubt  be  all  right  and  the  troops  would  be  certain  to  lick  the 
Chinese,  the  missionaries  all  over  the  country  would  be 
certain  to  have  an  awful  time  of  it.  We  should  be  very 
anxious  about  that,  because  my  mother's  sister  married  a 
missionary  and  is  settled  a  long  way  up  the  country." 
"  Is  your  Chinaman  going  back  with  you  ? " 
"Yes;  I  should  be  awfully  sorry  to  leave  him  behind.  He 
has  been  with  me  as  long  as  I  can  remember.  My  uncle  only 
brought  him  over  here  in  order  that  I  might  keep  up  my 
Chinese.  I  am  sure  that  he  would  go  through  fire  and  water 
for  me.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  a  man  like  that,  for, 
putting  aside  the  fact  that  I  like  him  tremendously,  I  would 
trust  myself  anywhere  with  him,  for  he  is  very  strong,  and, 
as  he  showed  when  he  attacked  those  two  fellows  who  upset 
the  boat  soon  after  I  came  here,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  is 
plucky.  I  expect  he  will  be  very  glad  to  be  home  again. 
He  has  got  accustomed  to  European  clothes  now,  but  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  would  prefer  his  own;  and  then,  of  course, 
his  family  are  there,  and  in  China  family  ties  are  very  strong. 


14  WITH  THE   ALLIES  TO   PEKIN 

Families  always  stick  together,  even  to  distant  relations.  My 
uncle  says  that  the  population  should  be  counted  by  families 
and  not  by  individuals.  Of  course  I  did  not  think  of  such 
matters  before  I  came  away,  but  he  says  that  it  is  like  the  old 
Scotch  clans :  the  State  deals  with  the  families  and  not  with 
the  different  members  of  it.  If  a  man  commits  a  crime  and 
gets  away,  the  family  are  held  responsible  for  it,  and  one  of 
them  has  to  suffer  penalties  and  pays  either  a  large  money 
fine  or  is  executed." 

"  That  would  be  very  rough  on  a  family  that  happens  to 
have  one  scamp  among  the  sons." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so ;  but  it  helps  to  keep  them  all  straight. 
A  fellow  who  committed  a  crime,  for  which  his  father  or  any 
of  his  near  relations  had  to  suffer,  would  be  considered  not 
only  as  a  disgrace  to  the  family  but  as  a  man  altogether 
accursed  and  beyond  the  pall  of  pity  whatever  fate  might 
befall  him.  My  uncle  says  crime  is  very  rare  in  China,  and 
that  this  is  very  largely  due  to  the  family  ties." 

"  But  there  are  pirates  on  the  coast  and,  as  I  hear,  robbers 
on  many  of  the  rivers  ? " 

"  Yes ;  uncle  says  these  men  are  fellows  who  have  left  their 
native  villages  and  have  banded  together,  so  that  if  they  are 
caught  it  is  never  known  to  what  families  they  belong.  They 
are  beheaded,  and  there  is  an  end  of  them,  and  their  family 
never  know  anything  about  their  case.  The  Chinese  are  a 
very  peaceable  lot,  except  that  they  sometims  get  tremen 
dously  stirred  up,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Taiping  insurrection. 
The  people  hear  stories  that  the  foreigners  are  trying  to  upset 
their  religion  or  to  take  some  of  the  land.  Hideous  stories 
go  about  that  they  have  killed  and  eaten  children  or  sacri 
ficed  them  in  some  terrible  way.  Then  they  seem  to  go  mad ; 
they  throw  down  their  hoes  and  take  up  swords  and  muskets, 
if  they  have  them,  and  blindly  fall  upon  the  whites." 


SCHOOL  15 

"They  call  us  the  foreign  devils,  don't  they?" 

"  No,  that  is  a  mistake ;  the  real  meaning  of  the  words  is 
'  ocean  devils,'  which  answers  to  our  word  *  pirates.'  Euro 
peans  were  called  so  because  the  Chinese  coasts  were  ravaged, 
sacked,  and  burnt  by  adventurers  who  first  sailed  into  the 
Chinese  seas,  and  the  name  has  been  applied  to  the  whites 
ever  since.  It  is  the  same  way  with  the  name  of  their 
country.  By  a  misunderstanding,  when  we  first  had  diplo 
matic  relations  with  them  the  word  '  Celestial '  was  applied 
to  their  empire,  and  people  ever  since  have  believed  that 
that  is  what  they  call  the  country.  The  word  '  Celestial '  is 
applied  only  to  the  emperor,  who  is  viewed  almost  as  a  god, 
but  they  would  never  dream  of  applying  it  to  the  country. 
Because  the  document  said  '  the  Celestial  Emperor,'  it  was 
supposed  that  the  kingdom  over  which  he  reigned  was  called 
the  '  Celestial  Kingdom.'  On  the  contrary,  they  call  it  the 
*  Terrestrial  Kingdom,'  believing,  as  they  did  before  they  had 
anything  to  do  with  foreigners,  that  it  was,  in  fact,  the  only 
kingdom  existing  on  earth  worthy  of  the  name." 

"  And  can  you  write  Chinese  as  well  as  you  can  talk  it, 
Bateman  ? " 

"  I  can  write  the  ordinary  Chinese,  but  not  the  language  of 
the  literati  class;  that  is  entirely  different,  and  the  ordinary 
Chinaman  has  no  more  knowledge  of  it  than  I  have.  I 
believe  that  it  contains  twenty  thousand  different  characters, 
and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  even  the  most  learned  Chinaman 
understands  them  all.  Even  the  popular  language  is  scarcely 
understood  in  all  parts  of  China.  The  dialects  differ  as  much 
as  some  of  the  English  dialects,  and  the  native  of  the 
Northern  Provinces  has  the  greatest  difficulty  in  convers 
ing  with  a  man  from  the  South." 

"  There  is  the  bell  ringing,  and  I  must  run  round  to  the 
boarding-house  to  get  my  books." 


16  WITH  THE   AKLIES   TO   PEKIN 

Rex  was  extremely  sorry  when  the  last  day  of  the  term 
arrived  and  he  had  to  say  good-bye  to  his  friends.  Ah  Lo, 
on  the  other  hand,  when  he  met  him  at  the  station,  was 
in  the  highest  spirits.  He  was  delighted  that  he  was 
henceforth  always  to  be  with  his  young  master,  and; 
though  this  was  a  minor  consideration  to  him,  he  rejoiced 
at  the  thought  that  he  was  soon  to  return  to  his  native 
land. 

"  This  is  a  good  country/'  he  said,  speaking  in  his  own 
language,  "  much  better  than  I  had  thought,  and  if  all  my 
family  were  not  in  China  I  should  not  mind  living  here  all 
my  life.  They  will  be  glad  to  see  me  too.  Except  that  I 
have  not  been  with  them  for  so  long,  I  have  been  a  dutiful 
son,  and  have  always  sent  half  of  my  pay  to  my  parents. 
They  are  well  content  with  me.  Fortunately  I  am  the 
youngest  of  five  sons.  If  I  had  been  at  home  I  should  have 
had  to  stay  at  home  to  help  my  parents;  but  my  brothers  are 
all  married  and  live  in  the  village,  so  they  can  look  after 
them  and  help  them  in  their  labours.  As  I  left  so  young 
they  do  not  miss  me,  and  the  money  I  have  saved  has  helped 
to  keep  them  in  comfort.  They  have  indeed  received  much 
more  than  they  would  have  done  had  I  stayed  at  home  and 
worked  for  them,  for  my  wages  have  been  as  much  as  my 
four  brothers  could  earn  together.  I  have  only  sent  from 
here  the  same  as  I  did  when  I  was  at  Tientsin,  although  I 
have  been  paid  higher,  but  then  I  shall  have  much  to  spend 
before  we  start,  in  buying  presents  for  them  and  all  my 
relatives.  Besides,  I  have  saved  half  of  my  earnings,  for  I 
have  had  no  occasion  to  spend  money  here,  and  with  my 
former  savings  added  to  this  I  shall  be  the  richest  man  in 
the  village.  If  I  were  to  go  back  I  could  live  comfortably 
all  my  life,  but  I  should  never  want  to  do  that,  master,  as 
long  as  you  will  keep  me  with  you." 


SCHOOL  17 

"  That  will  be  as  long  as  we  both  live,  Ah  Lo;  but  I  -think 
that  when  you  get  back  you  ought  to  take  a  wife." 

"  I  shall  think  about  it,"  the  Chinaman  said,  "  but  I  shall 
think  many  times  before  I  do  it.  When  a  man  is  married  he 
is  no  longer  master  of  his  own  house.  The  wife  is  always 
good  and  obedient  until  she  has  a  son;  after  that  she  takes 
much  upon  herself.  If  one  were  to  get  the  right  woman  it 
would  be  very  good,  but  it  is  not  in  China  as  it  is  here,  where 
you  see  a  great  deal  of  a  woman  before  you  marry.  In  China 
I  should  have  to  say  to  one  of  the  old  women  who  act  as  inter 
mediaries,  '  I  desire  a  wife/  Then  she  goes  about  and  brings 
me  a  list  of  several  marriageable  girls.  She  praises  them  all 
up,  and  says  that  they  are  beautiful  and  mild-tempered,  and 
at  last  I  choose  one  on  her  report;  and  it  is  not  until  after  one 
is  married  that  one  can  find  out  whether  the  report  is  true  or 
not.  Altogether  the  risk  is  great.  I  am  happy  and  contented 
now;  it  would  be  folly  for  me  to  risk  so  much  with  so  small 
an  advantage.  Suppose  I  had  married  before  I  came  over 
here,  my  wife  would  have  had  to  stay  with  my  parents,  and 
she  might  not  have  been  happy  there.  I  could  not  have 
brought  her  over  here,  for  if  I  had  done  so  everything  would 
have  been  strange  to  her;  the  people  would  have  pointed  at 
her  in  the  street,  the  boys  would  have  called  after  her,  and 
she  would  have  been  miserable." 

"  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  going  back,  Rex,"  his  uncle  said 
to  him,  when  all  the  preparations  for  the  voyage  had  been 
completed,  and  he  was  to  embark  on  the  following  day.  "  I 
should  have  liked  to  keep  you  here,  but  naturally  your  mother 
and  father  want  you  back,  and  it  is  certainly  best  for  you 
that  you  should,  at  any  rate  for  some  years,  be  over  there  to 
learn  the  business  thoroughly,  so  that  when  your  father 
retires  you  can  succeed  him,  and  in  time  perhaps  come  back 
to  take  charge  here,  if  you  can  find  among  the  clerks  one  suf- 


18  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

ficiently  capable  to  represent  us  out  there.  But  I  shall  miss 
you,  lad,  sorely.  I  have  always  looked  forward  to  your  being 
home  for  the  holidays,  and  I  had  great  interest  in  your  life 
and  doings  at  school.  Still,  I  knew,  of  course,  that  that 
could  not  last  for  ever.  In  a  small  way  it  will  be  a  wrench 
losing  Ah  Lo;  I  shall  find  a  difficulty  in  getting  anyone  to  fill 
his  place.  A  more  attentive  or  obliging  fellow  I  have  never 
come  across.  It  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  he 
is  with  you,  for  should  any  troubles  arise,  which  I  regard  as 
quite  possible,  you  will  find  him  invaluable. 

"  I  only  intended,  when  I  took  this  house,  to  stay  here  until 
you  returned,  but  I  know  so  many  people  round  here  now 
that  I  shall  probably  stay  on.  I  found  it  intolerably  dull  the 
first  year,  but  now  that  I  know  all  my  neighbours  it  is  dif 
ferent,  and  if  I  were  to  leave  and  take  a  house  in  town  I 
should  have  all  the  work  of  making  friends  again. 

"  I  hope  that  things  will  settle  down  in  China.  Your 
father's  letters  of  late  have  taken  rather  a  gloomy  view  of 
things,  and  he  is  not  by  any  means  given  that  way.  I  am 
more  impressed  by  what  he  says  than  by  what  I  read  in  the 
papers.  In  his  last  letter  he  says,  '  I  feel  as  if  I  were  living  in 
a  country  subject  to  earthquakes,  and  that  at  any  moment  the 
ground  might  open  under  our  feet.  It  does  not  seem  to  me 
that  our  officials  at  Pekin  have  any  idea  as  to  the  extent  of 
the  danger,  but  most  of  us  here  believe  that  it  is  very  real. 
Happily  we  are  strong  enough  to  hold  out  here  till  aid  could 
reach  us,  and  this  will  be  the  case  in  all  the  treaty  ports,  but 
up-country  the  outlook  would  be  terrible.  Emma  is  greatly 
troubled  as  to  her  sister  up-country,  although  to  some  extent 
she  shares  the  belief  of  Master  ton  that  the  Chinese  officials 
will  protect  them  against  the  mob  if  troubles  should  begin. 
Although  I  don't  tell  Emma  so,  I  do  not  share  in  that  belief. 

" '  This  Boxer  movement,  as  it  is  called,  might  be  easily 


SCHOOL  19 

crushed  now  if  the  Chinese  authorities  chose,  but  there  is 
good  reason  for  believing  that  they  have  the  secret  support  of 
the  empress,  and  the  men  by  whom  she  is  surrounded.  If  so, 
the  officials  throughout  the  country  will  naturally  go  with 
the  tide;  and  as  life  is  thought  so  little  of  in  China,  few  of 
them  would  bestir  themselves  in  earnest  to  protect  the  mis 
sionaries,  still  less  the  native  converts.  Well,  I  hope  that  I 
may  be  wrong,  but  I  cannot  feel  at  all  comfortable  in  my 
mind  as  to  the  future.' 

"  Knowing  your  father  as  I  do,  I  cannot  but  think  that 
the  outlook  is  really  serious.  I  was  almost  surprised  that  the 
letter  did  not  conclude  by  saying,  '  I  think  that  you  had 
better  keep  Rex  for  another  year  at  school.' " 

"  I  am  very  glad  that  it  did  not  say  so,  uncle.  For  many 
reasons  I  am  sorry  to  be  going  back,  and  I  am  very  sorry  to 
leave  you.  It  has  been  very  jolly  at  school,  but  if  there  is  to 
be  trouble  I  should  like  to  be  with  my  father  and  mother,  and 
to  do  what  little  I  can  to  aid  in  the  defence  of  the  English 
quarter  if  it  should  be  attacked." 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  BOXERS 

A  LL  was  ready  at  last,  and  Mr.  Bateman  went  down  with 
•*-*•  Rex  to  join  the  steamer  at  Gravesend.  As  they  went 
out  on  the  tender  Mr.  Bateman  said  to  a  gentleman  of  about 
his  own  age,  "  Hillo,  Chambers,  who  would  have  thought  of 
seeing  you  here?  Why,  I  haven't  seen  you  since  I  came 
home." 

"  No,  I  came  three  months  after  you  did.  I  wonder  we 
never  ran  across  each  other  before.  Surely  you  are  not  going 
out  again  ? " 

"No,  I  have  done  with  the  glorious  East  for  good,"  the 
other  laughed.  "  I  am  only  here  to  see  my  nephew  off.  You 
will  hardly  remember  him ;  he  was  only  about  twelve  when  he 
came  home  with  me." 

"  I  certainly  should  not  have  known  him  again,  Bateman. 
I  am  here  on  the  same  errand  as  you.  My  son  is  going  out 
to  Runciman's.  I  am  still  in  the  firm,  and  act  as  their  agent 
here.  I  wonder  we  have  never  run  against  each  other.  My 
son  is  two  or  three  years  older  than  your  nephew.  Shake 
hands,  you  two  young  fellows.  It  will  be  pleasant  for  you 
both,  starting  with  someone  you  know;  it  makes  you  feel 
comfortable  at  once.  I  know  the  purser  of  the  Dragon,  and 
will  get  him  to  shift  one  of  you  so  that  your  cabins  may  be 
together.  I  know  he  will  do  that  for  me  if  the  ship  is  not 
very  full,  which  it  is  not  likely  to  be  at  this  time  of  year." 


THE   BOXERS  21 

The  two  lads  shook  hands  with  each  other.  They  had  no 
time  for  any  words,  for  at  this  moment  the  tender  came  along 
side  the  steamer. 

"You  had  better  leave  your  traps  here,  boys,"  Mr. 
Chambers  said,  "  while  I  run  down  and  see  the  purser  before 
he  gets  the  whole  crowd  at  his  heels."  In  three  minutes  he 
returned.  "  I  have  managed  that  for  you,"  he  said.  "  Bring 
all  your  light  traps  down  and  take  possession.  He  has 
ordered  one  of  the  stewards  to  put  your  names  on  No.  17. 
It  is  a  three-berth  cabin,  but  you  will  have  it  to  yourselves. 
When  you  have  put  all  your  light  traps  in,  you  had  better 
come  and  watch  the  baggage  put  on  board.  I  suppose  you 
have  already  sent  on  board  your  nephew's  boxes  for  the  hold, 
Bateman?" 

"  Yes ;  he  has  only  two  flat  trunks  for  the  voyage,  made,  of 
course,  to  go  under  the  berths." 

"  That  is  just  what  my  son  has,  plus  a  couple  of  gun  cases." 
"  Hex  has  the  same,  a  double  barrel  and  a  Lee-Metford." 
"  You  don't  think  he  will  want  that,  do  you  ? " 
"I  hope  not;  but  my  brother  James  writes  so  gloomily 
about  the  prospect  that  we  thought  it  just  as  well  to  get  him 
a  weapon  that  might  be  useful  in  case  of  trouble." 

"  Well,  I  gave  my  lad  two  good  double-barrels,  not  bad 
weapons  in  case  of  a  sudden  ruction  with  the  natives.  I 
should  think  that  would  be  the  worst  danger.  My  people  tell 
me  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  talk,  but  they  do  not  think 
anything  will  come  of  it." 

"  I  hope  not,  I  am  sure.  It  would  play  the  deuce  with 
trade,  but  I  agree  with  you  in  thinking  that  after  the  lessons 
we  have  given  the  Chinese,  and  the  tremendous  thrashings 
they  have  had  from  the  Japs,  they  will  not  be  foolish  enough 
to  want  to  do  any  more  fighting.  I  do  know,  though,  that 
they  have  been  buying  huge  quantities  of  guns  of  all  sorts, 


22  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  rifles.  Still,  I  fancy  that  is  only  because  they  don't  mean 
to  be  caught  napping  again." 

While  the  elders  were  talking,  the  two  lads  made  their  way 
below.  They  found  a  steward,  who  took  them  to  the  cabin, 
on  which  their  names  had  already  been  stuck,  and  they 
deposited  their  light  traps  there. 

"  This  will  be  very  jolly,  Bateman,"  Chambers  said,  "  espe 
cially  as  we  are  going  to  the  same  place.  I  have  been  at 
home  for  the  past  ten  years,  so  it  will  be  all  new  to  me." 

"  I  have  only  been  at  home  for  four,"  Rex  said.  "  I 
dare  say,  however,  I  shall  feel  it  strange  when  I  go  out 
again." 

"  Who  is  the  Chinese  fellow  who  came  off  with  you  ? " 

"  He  is  one  of  the  boys  from  my  father's  place.  He  was 
my  special  boy  till  I  came  home,  so  they  sent  him  over  with 
me,  and  he  has  been  at  my  uncle's  ever  since." 

"  It  seems  rum  keeping  him  over  here  all  this  time." 

"  Well,  he  was  kept  over  here  for  my  sake.  I  had  leave  out 
of  school  twice  a  week,  and  spent  it  with  him  in  order  to  keep 
up  my  Chinese." 

"  You  mean  to  say  you  can  talk  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  as  well  as  English." 

"  By  Jove,  that  is  splendid !  I  wish  they  had  done  the 
same  with  me.  I  suppose  I  talked  it  when  I  came  over, 
though  I  don't  know  a  word  of  it  now,  and  shall  have  all 
the  beastly  grind  of  learning  it." 

"  Well,  anyhow,  it  will  be  easier  for  you  than  if  you  had 
never  known  it.  They  say  if  anyone  has  once  known  a 
language  and  then  forgotten  it,  it  is  much  easier  for  him  to 
pick  it  up  again.  Well,  we  had  better  go  upstairs  now  and 
look  after  our  baggage." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  picked  out  their  boxes  and  saw 
them  taken  down  to  their  cabin.  Then  they  rejoined  their 


THE    BOXERS  23 

friends  until  the  bell  rang.  The  partings  were  made  with  at 
least  a  show  of  cheerfulness. 

"  I  am  awfully  obliged  to  you  for  all  your  kindness  to  me, 
uncle,"  Rex  said.  "  I  have  had  a  jolly  time,  thanks  to  you, 
and  shall  always  look  back  upon  it." 

"  I  have  been  glad  to  have  you,  Rex,  and  shall  feel  like  a 
fish  out  of  water  without  you.  Give  my  love  to  them  out 
there.  I  hope  you  will  find  things  all  quiet  and  comfortable." 

They  stood  at  the  rail  until  the  tender  steamed  away  up  the 
river,  and  then  stood  watching  the  passengers,  many  of  whom 
were  still  hunting  for  missing  boxes.  Then  they  went  down 
and  tidied  up  their  cabin,  and  afterwards  walked  on  deck 
until  the  bell  rang  for  dinner. 

Dick  Chambers  had  been  educated  at  Marlborough,  had 
played  in  the  eleven,  and  had  represented  the  school  at 
rackets.  He  had  also  been  lieutenant  in  the  school  corps, 
and  had  shot  in  their  Bisley  team.  He  was  a  pleasant  young 
fellow,  though  he  put  on  airs  on  the  strength  of  his  two  years' 
seniority. 

"  Well,  are  you  glad  you  are  going  home  ?  "  he  said,  when 
they  went  forward  together  to  speak  to  the  Chinaman. 

"  Glad  some  ways,  not  other  ways,"  Ah  Lo  said.  "  Velly 
nice  summer  time,  too  much  rainee  winter  time." 

"  But  it  is  not  very  cheerful  weather  always  in  Tientsin, 
Ah  Lo,"  Rex  said. 

"  I  want  to  get  home  to  see  palents.  Sent  home  money  to 
them,  but  dat  not  likee  seeing  them.  Good  piecee  people 
here." 

"  You  haven't  got  to  talk  English  very  well,"  Dick  laughed, 
"  considering  you  have  been  four  years  over  here." 

"Always  talk  China-talk  with  Massa  Rex.  Talk  with 
Master  Robert  same  in  China.  Never  let  me  talk  English  to 
Massa  Rex.  Talk  lillie  English  to  girls  in  kitchen.  Dey 


24  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIIST 

always  make  fun  of  Ah  Lo.  Laugh  at  him  face.  Didn't 
talk  much  with  them.  Just  talk  pidgin  English." 

"  No,  I  have  never  talked  to  him  in  English  from  the  time 
when  he  first  took  charge  of  me  until  now.  My  father  and 
uncle  always  talked  to  him  in  Chinese,  so  he  really  has  had 
very  little  chance." 

"  Not  want  very  much  learn  English,"  Ah  Lo  said ;  "  if 
learn  English,  people  in  house  say  '  Ah  Lo  don't  do  this,' 
'Ah  Lo  do  that,'  keep  him  always  at  work." 

"  You  are  like  the  monkeys  who  could  talk  well  enough  if 
they  liked,  but  didn't  do  so  lest  they  were  made  to  work." 

Ah  Lo  grinned,  and  then  said  in  Chinese  to  Rex,  "  Ah 
Lo  can  work  hard  for  his  master,  but  not  care  to  work  hard 
for  women  who  only  make  fun  of  him." 

"  I  don't  think  the  women  meant  to  make  fun  of  you,  Ah 
Lo.  My  uncle  told  me  that  his  housekeeper  always  spoke 
very  well  of  you,  and  said  that  they  all  liked  you." 

"  Always   laughed   at   Chinaman's    English." 

"  Well,  of  course  it  was  curious  to  English  servants. 
Pidgin  English  is  very  curious  to  people  who  are  unaccus 
tomed  to  it,  with  your  funny  way  of  sticking  in  '  piecee '  at 
every  other  word,  and  '  number  one  first  chop,'  and  things  of 
that  sort.  At  any  rate  there  were  never  any  quarrels  between 
them  and  you.  Are  you  pretty  comfortable  down  below  ? " 

"  Not  bad.  Ah  Lo  expects  that  he  will  have  to  hit  three 
or  four  of  those  men  who  pretend  to  turn  up  their  noses  at 
him.  Ah  Lo  very  peaceable,  not  want  to  fight,  but  not  to  be 
treated  like  poor  common  Chinaman.  Ah  Lo  hit  very  hard." 

"  Yes,  I  know  you  do,  Ah  Lo,"  said  Rex,  "  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  you  will  astonish  them  in  that  way  if  you  begin. 
Still,  it  is  better  not  to  do  it  unless  they  provoke,  you  a  great 
deal." 

He  then  walked  aft  again  with  Dick. 


THE    BOXERS  25 

Three  days  later  a  serious  complaint  was  brought  before 
the  captain,  that  three  men  had  been  grievously  assaulted  and 
battered  by  a  Chinaman. 

The  captain  was  speaking  to  Rex  when  the  complaint  was 
made. 

"  That  is  my  servant,  no  doubt,"  Rex  said.  "  He  is  a  very 
quiet  and  peaceable  man,  and  no  doubt  some  of  the  men  for 
ward  must  have  been  playing  tricks  on  him." 

The  captain  ordered  the  three  complainants  and  the  China 
man  to  be  brought  aft.  The  faces  of  the  former  bore  the 
signs  of  violent  treatment,  while  the  Chinaman  was  evidently 
none  the  worse  of  the  conflict,  and  wore  the  usual  placid  air 
of  his  race. 

"  Now,  let  us  hear  your  story,"  the  captain  said. 

The  three  men  each  repeated  the  story,  how  without  the 
smallest  reason  the  Chinee  had  suddenly  sprung  upon  them 
and  beaten  them. 

"  But  how  came  you,"  said  the  captain,  "  three  of  you,  to 
let  this  man  assault  you  in  the  way  you  describe.  Does  your 
man  speak  English,  Mr.  Bateman  ? " 

"  He  understands  it  perfectly,  sir,  but  only  speaks  pidgin 
English.  If,  however,  you  will  question  him  in  English  I 
will  translate  his  replies  to  you." 

"  Well,  sir,  what  do  you  mean  by  beating  these  men  in  this 
style?" 

"  These  men  make  fun  of  me,"  Ah  Lo  said.  "  Ah  Lo  is 
a  very  quiet  man,  no  want  to  have  row.  Men  always  keep 
on  saying  things  against  him.  Ah  Lo  pretended  not  to  un 
derstand,  then  they  get  worse.  Presently  one  man  push 
against  Ah  Lo  one  side,  and  then  take  off  his  hat  and  say, 
1  Beg  pardon.'  Then  another  push  other  side  and  say  just  the 
•same.  Then  another  man  tumble  against  Ah  Lo,  then  they 
all  laugh  very  loud.  Then  Ah  Lo  say  better  look  out,  then 


26  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

they  laugh  again  and  push  Ah  Lo  still  more.  That  not  proper 
treatment,  so  Ah  Lo  take  two  of  them  by  scruff  of  neck  and 
knock  their  faces  together.  Then  other  man  run  in,  and  All 
Lo  think  it  is  about  time  to  begin  and  hit  him  on  nose,  quite 
a  little  hit,  but  made  blood  run  very  hard.  Then  the  other 
men  try  again,  and  Ah  Lo  slap  them,  and  they  tumble  down. 
That  is  all.  Ah  Lo  very  gentle  and  quiet,  but  not  proper  for 
men  to  go  too  far  with  him." 

The  captain  laughed  when  Hex  translated  this. 

He  said :  "  Well,  my  men,  it  seems  to  me  that  what  you 
have  got  serves  you  right.  You  thought  because  this  China 
man  was  quiet  and  inoffensive  that  you  could  play  any  tricks 
you  liked  with  him.  You  have  made  a  bad  mistake.  It  is 
evident  that  he  is  an  uncommonly  strong  fellow,  and  he  has 
given  you  what  you  deserved.  I  should  say  it  would  be  wise 
for  you  to  leave  him  alone  in  future,  because  if  this  is  his 
way  of  being  very  quiet  and  gentle  it  might  be  serious  if  he 
lost  his  temper  with  you." 

"  Ah  Lo  is  quiet  and  good-tempered,"  Rex  said,  as  the 
others  went  forward.  "  One  day  when  a  couple  of  bargees 
upset  a  boat  with  some  of  our  fellows  in,  Ah  Lo  took  one  of 
them  and  chucked  him  right  out  into  the  river.  You  never 
saw  a  fellow  so  astonished.  But  even  then  you  would  not  have 
said  that  he  was  out  of  temper,  for  he  looked  as  placid  as 
possible,  and  only  smiled  when  the  fellow  stood  in  the  river 
and  hurled  bad  language  at  him.  He  has  been  with  me  since 
I  was  a  child,  and  I  have  never  once  seen  him  put  out  about 
anything." 

From  that  time  there  were  no  more  complaints  of  Ah  Lo. 
The  voyage  passed,  as  most  voyages  do  pass,  without  any 
particular  incident.  They  had  one  gale  in  the  China  seas, 
but  no  serious  damage  was  done  except  that  a  boat  was 
washed  away  and  the  bulwarks  stove  in.  Rex  and  Dick  had 


THE    BOXERS  27 

become  great  friends  by  the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  had  prom 
ised  to  see  a  good  deal  of  each  other  when  they  landed.  They 
were  not  sorry,  however,  when  the  voyage  came  to  an  end,  for 
Rex  was  looking  forward  to  seeing  his  father  and  mother  after 
their  long  separation,  and  Dick  to  reviving  his  very  faint 
recollections  of  the  country,  and  to  making  the  acquaintance 
of  the  other  young  fellows  of  the  establishment,  and  to  enter 
ing  upon  serious  work.  They  went  ashore  for  a  few  hours  at 
Hong  Kong,  and  at  Shanghai  were  transhipped  to  a  compara 
tively  small  steamer,  in  which  they  made  the  journey  to 
Taku.  As  soon  as  the  vessel  dropped  anchor  Mr.  Bateman 
came  011  board.  He  had  known  the  date  at  which  she  was 
due,  and  had  come  down  by  rail  on  the  previous  day. 

"  Well,  you  are  grown  a  big  fellow,"  he  exclaimed,  after 
the  first  greeting.  "  Of  course,  I  knew  that  you  would  have 
grown,  but  I  did  not  expect  to  see  such  a  big  fellow  as  you 
are.  Ah,  Ah  Lo,  so  there  you  are!  I  have  heard  capital 
accounts  of  you  from  my  brother,  and  Rex  has  never  failed 
to  give  news  of  you  in  every  letter  he  wrote." 

As  soon  as  the  first  questions  had  been  asked  and  answered 
on  both  sides,  Rex  said,  "  This  is  Dick  Chambers,  father. 
We  have  been  great  chums  on  the  voyage.  He  is  coming 
out  to  Runciman's  house." 

"  Oh  yes,  of  course !  I  know  your  father  very  well.  I  am 
glad  you  came  out  together.  It  must  have  been  more  pleasant 
for  both  of  you.  One  of  the  clerks  of  your  house  is  some 
where  about.  He  came  down  here  to  meet  you,  but  I  suppose 
he  has  not  yet  identified  you." 

An  hour  later  all  their  belongings  were  got  on  shore,  and 
a  short  time  afterwards  the  train  started.  There  was  a  great 
deal  for  father  and  son  to  talk  about,  and  although  the 
journey  across  the  low  flat  country  would  have  been  consid 
ered  very  slow  in  England,  it  seemed  to  pass  rapidly.  It  was 


28  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

not  until  the  next  morning  that  Rex  had  time  to  talk  of 
anything  but  England,  and  to  ask  about  local  matters. 

"  Things  are  very  unsettled,"  said  his  father.  "  There  are 
reports  of  massacres  of  missionaries  at  several  places,  but 
these  reports  must  be  received  with  a  great  deal  of  suspicion. 
For  myself  I  am  not  very  much  inclined  to  believe  them ;  and 
they  always  have  to  pay  so  heavily  for  indulging  in  freaks  of 
this  sort  that  I  should  hardly  think  .they  would  be  so  foolish 
as  to  repeat  them.  You  see,  the  last  murder  of  two  German 
missionaries  gave  Germany  an  excuse  for  seizing  the  port  of 
Kiaochow.  That  action  has  been  in  all  respects  unfortunate. 
The  province  is  considered  a  sort  of  Holy  Land  by  the  Chi 
nese,  and  they  have  consequently  resented  the  seizure  of  that 
port  very  bitterly.  Besides,  naturally  it  seems  an  altogether 
preposterous  price  to  pay  for  the  murder  of  two  foreigners. 
I  am  wholly  with  them  there.  Suppose  two  Chinese  had  been 
killed  in  Germany,  what  do  you  think  the  Germans  would 
say  if  China  were  to  demand  as  compensation  Bremerhaven? 
You  only  have  to  look  at  it  in  that  light  to  see  the  mon 
strosity  of  the  affair.  Why,  after  defeating  China  and 
taking  Pekin  and  expending  some  millions  of  money,  all  that 
the  Allies  demanded  was  that  five  ports  should  be  open  for 
commerce;  and  yet  Germany  takes  as  her  own  a  port,  with 
the  surrounding  country,  for  the  death  of  two  missionaries. 
Still,  even  that  gross  act  oJ  spoliation  would,  one  might 
think,  hardly  excite  the  people  to  rise  against  missionaries  in 
general.  I  cannot  believe  that  at  the  worst  these  are  any 
thing  more  than  isolated  outbreaks,  and  I  believe  they  will  be 
very  severely  punished  by  the  authorities.  Still,  it  may  safely 
be  said  that  there  is  not  an  Englishman  alive,  not  even  Mr. 
Hart,  who  really  understands  the  Chinese,  or  who  can  predict 
what  they  will  do  in  any  given  circumstances.  They  are 
very  like  children:  they  will  bear  desperate  oppression  and 


THE    BOXEBS  29 

tyranny  with  passive  submission,  and  they  will  then  break 
out  furiously  at  some  fancied  wrong. 

"  We  never  really  get  near  the  Chinese.  They  live  in  their 
native  city;  we  live  in  our  own  settlement.  We  draw  what 
labour  we  require  from  them,  it  comes  and  it  goes  again ;  but 
as  far  as  the  people  are  concerned,  their  ways,  their  talk,  and 
their  manner  of  life,  we  know  no  more  of  them  than  if  the 
native  town  were  situated  in  the  moon.  Their  whole  existence 
differs  in  almost  every  respect  from  ours.  A  Chinaman,  if  he 
is  aggrieved  by  another,  will  go  to  the  house  of  the  man  he 
has  quarrelled  with,  and  will  cut  his  own  throat  at  the  door, 
and  public  opinion  demands  that  the  other  man  shall  also 
cut  his.  If  a  man  commits  a  crime  and  bolts,  they  don't 
trouble  greatly  to  catch  him.  They  simply  inflict  the  punish 
ment  due  to  him  on  his  nearest  relative.  I  don't  say  that  the 
system  doesn't  act  well,  for  the  ties  of  family  are  tremen 
dously  strong,  and  few  Chinamen,  indeed,  would  so  utterly 
disgrace  themselves  as  to  allow  their  fathers  to  be  executed 
in  their  place. 

"  As  to  religion,  it  can  scarcely  be  said  that  they  have  any 
except  worship  of  ancestors.  They  have  superstitions,  but 
no  real  religion.  They  look  at  everything,  in  fact,  in  a  light 
that  differs  directly  from  that  in  which  we  regard  it.  Every 
Chinaman  will  cheat  in  a  bargain  if  he  can,  and  only  laugh 
if  he  is  found  out,  for  he  has  no  shame  whatever  in  conduct 
which  he  considers  natural  if  not  meritorious.  But  they 
have  not  the  slightest  fear  of  death.  I  do  not  know  that  they 
have  the  same  fatalism  as  the  Mohammedans,  but  practically 
it  comes  to  the  same  thing.  I  don't  know  whether  you  have 
heard  in  England  about  the  Boxers  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  something  about  them,  but  not 
much." 

"  The  sect  has  existed  some  two  hundred  years.    It  doesn't 


30  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

seem  originally  to  have  had  any  very  positive  aims.  Its 
members  performed  certain  rites  and  certain  exercises  in  a, 
secret  sort  of  way,  but  I  fancy  that  is  pretty  well  all  that  is 
known  of  them.  It  is  really  only  lately  that  they  have  be 
come  at  all  prominent,  and  have  gone  in  for  recruiting  their 
numbers  to  any  extent.  The  whole  basis  of  the  association 
has  been  changed.  It  was  formerly  an  association  apparently 
without  any  political  aims,  and  to  some  extent  resembling 
our  own  freemasonry;  and  it  has  become  an  active,  militant, 
and  in  a  certain  sense  a  national  movement,  directed  princi 
pally  against  foreigners,  but  also  against  the  corruption  of 
the  Chinese  Court  and  the  terrible  condition  of  the  people  in 
general. 

"In  one  of  their  early  proclamations  they  say  the  whole 
populace  is  sunk  in  wretchedness,  and  that  all  the  officials 
are  spoilers  of  their  food.  The  condition  of  the  Yamen  is 
unspeakable.  In  every  market  and  in  every  guild  nothing 
can  be  done  unless  the  officials  are  bribed.  All  sorts  of  exac 
tions  are  made.  They  are  all  alike;  ill-gotten  wealth  is  their 
one  object;  right  has  disappeared  from  the  world,  and  sins 
are  unnumbered.  In  the  Yamens  it  is  of  no  avail  to  have  a 
clear  case ;  unless  you  bribe,  you  will  lose  the  day.  All  this  is 
unquestionably  true.  After  reciting  these  things  the  procla 
mation  then  turns  to  foreigners.  It  says :  '  Greater  calamities 
have  overtaken  the  nation.  Foreigners,  devils  come  with 
their  teaching,  and  converts  to  Christianity,  Roman  Catho 
lics  and  Protestants,  have  become  numerous.  These  are 
without  human  relations,  but  being  most  cunning  they  have 
attracted  all  the  greedy  and  covetous  as  converts,  and  to  an 
unlimited  degree  they  have  practised  oppression.' 

"  The  great  impulse  was  given  in  Shan  Tung  in  the  north, 
but  the  movement  spread  like  wildfire.  At  first  the  author 
ities  at  Pekin  were  altogether  hostile  to  it,  but,  seeing  its 


THE    BOXERS  31 

increasing  power,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Empress 
has  secretly  encouraged  it,  with  the  object,  no  doubt,  of  di 
verting  it  from  internal  reform  to  hostility  to  foreigners.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  more  enlightened  of  the  Chinese  see  the 
danger  of  the  association.  Several  of  the  viceroys  have 
taken  measures  against  them,  and  General  Nieh  is  preparing 
to  attack  them.  The  nine  Yangtze  viceroys  are  strongly 
opposed  to  the  association.  At  present  there  has  been  no 
overt  movement.  It  seems,  as  I  said,  true  enough  that  some 
small  missions  in  the  interior  have  been  attacked,  but  even 
this  is  unconfirmed.  The  cloud  may  blow  over,  or  it  may 
burst.  I  hope  that  in  any  case  i,t  will  be  confined  to  Northern 
China.  If  it  extends  over  the  whole  country  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  every  missionary  settlement  in  China  will 
be  wiped  out,  and  the  European  settlements  in  all  the  mission 
towns  will  be  attacked  and  their  position  become  precarious 
in  the  extreme. 

"  As  long  as  the  movement  is  confined  to  the  North  it  will 
be  manageable.  I  do  not  say  that  the  position  of  the  Euro 
pean  inhabits  of  Pekin  will  not  become  one  of  terrible  peril, 
and  we  here  may  get  our  share  of  trouble ;  but  Pekin  is  com 
paratively  close  to  the  sea,  and  although  for  a  time  the 
movement  may  have  its  own  way,  it  will  be  only  a  repetition 
of  the  last  troubles.  A  fleet  of  the  Allied  Powers  could 
batter  down  the  Taku  forts  and  an  army  march  to  Pekin. 
They  would  have  a  battle  or  two  to  fight  on  the  way,  but  they 
would  defeat  the  Chinese  with  great  slaughter,  capture 
Pekin,  and  force  the  Empress  to  make  terms.  This  will,  to 
my  mind,  be  almost  assuredly  the  way  things  will  go,  unless 
the  Empress  takes  firm  ground,  issues  a  proclamation  de 
nouncing  the  Boxers  in  the  strongest  terms,  and  orders  all 
viceroys  and  generals  to  take  prompt  and  energetic  steps 
against  them.  I  may  tell  you,  however,  that  a  considerable 


32  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

number  of  the  British  colony  here  do  not  share  my  views, 
and  believe  that  the  thing  will  die  out. 

"  At  any  rate,  for  the  present  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  go 
on  with  our  regular  work,  and  see  what  comes  of  it.  Your 
work  will  not  be  very  heavy,  for  trade  is  nearly  at  a  stand 
still,  and  no  one  is  getting  fresh  goods  up  from  Shanghai. 
So  you  will  have  an  easy  breaking-in  to  work,  which  will 
give  you  an  opportunity  of  looking  up  the  few  young  fel 
lows  you  knew  before  you  left.  There  are,  I  think,  only  five 
or  six  who  have  not  been  home,  but  there  are  others  who, 
being  a  few  years  older  than  you,  went  home  before  you 
and  have  since  returned.  There  are,  of  course,  some  pleasant 
families  here,  and  these  I  will  give  you  an  opportunity  of 
knowing  by  having  some  of  them  to  dinner  every  night  this 
week.  In  that  way  you  will  speedily  get  to  feel  at  home  in  the 
place.  I  shall,  of  course,  take  you  up  to  the  club.  You  used 
to  do  a  good  deal  of  drilling  with  Ah  Lo  before  you  went 
away,  and  as  you  would  no  doubt  like  to  keep  up  your  rowing, 
you  will  have  plenty  of  opportunities  of  doing  so  on  the 
river." 

For  the  next  three  weeks  Rex  had  a  very  pleasant  time. 
He  spent  the  morning  always  in  his  father's  office,  where  he 
was  instructed  in  the  method  of  book-keeping  employed,  and 
in  the  general  work  of  the  house.  Of  an  afternoon  he  either 
went  with  Ah  Lo  for  a  ramble  in  the  native  city  or  for  a 
sail  on  the  river,  and  sometimes  played  at  cricket.  Of  an 
evening  he  either  dined  at  home  or  at  other  houses,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  three  weeks  had  made  the  acquaintance  of 
almost  all  the  British  families  in  the  settlement.  Dick 
Chambers  was  generally  at  liberty  in  the  afternoon  and 
shared  in  the  amusements. 

"  Stick  to  your  amusements,  Rex,"  said  his  father.  "  The 
great  thing  in  this  country  is  to  take  to  outdoor  exercise  as 


THE   BOXEKS  33 

much  as  possible,  and  to  make  life  go  pleasantly  when  your 
work  is  done.  I  consider  that  for  the  next  two  or  three 
years  it  will  be  quite  sufficient  for  you  to  work  here  from 
nine  till  one,  except  on  mail  days,  when  you  will  find  it 
necessary  to  stick  at  it  all  day.  The  more  amusement  you 
get  out  of  your  life  the  better  I  shall  be  pleased." 

So  Hex  joined  in  all  that  was  going  on.  He  and  Dick 
were  at  once  enrolled  in  the  volunteer  corps  that  had  recently 
been  formed,  and  of  which  all  the  clerks  and  younger  mem 
bers  of  the  firms  there  had  become  members  as  soon  as  there 
were  signs  of  possible  trouble.  As  the  news  from  without 
became  daily  more  serious,  cricket  was  given  up  and  the 
evenings  were  devoted  to  drilling  and  shooting.  The  latter 
was  specially  attended  to.  It  was  evident  that  so  small  a 
body  of  men  could  have  small  occasion  for  manoeuvres  of 
any  kind,  but  that  individual  shooting  might  be  of  extreme 
importance.  Dick  Chambers  had  been  elected  captain  of  the 
corps,  as  he  had  learned  his  work  at  Marlborough  and  was 
the  best  marksman  of  his  year. 

"  It  isn't  much  of  a  place  for  defence,"  he  said  to  Rex, 
"  but  of  course  we  shall  have  troops  up  from  the  ships ;  and 
at  any  rate  five-and-twenty  of  us,  if  we  shoot  straight,  can  do 
a  good  deal ;  and  of  course  all  the  heads  will  join  if  necessary, 
though  they  may  not  think  it  worth  while  to  do  so  now. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  news  gets  worse  every  day,  and 
that  there  are  large  numbers  of  these  Boxers  all  over  the 
country.  I  think  the  Chinese  general  is  really,  as  he  says, 
hostile  to  them,  but  of  course  what  he  does  when  the  time 
comes  will  depend  upon  what  orders  he  gets  from  the  Em 
press,  who  is  in  every  sense  an  unknown  quantity  in  the 
problem.  If  he  fights  the  Boxers,  we  sha'n't  have  to;  if  he 
joins  them,  we  shall  all  have  our  work  cut  out  for  us.  In  case 
of  a  row  we  may  take  it  as  certain  that  the  population  of 


34  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  native  town  will  all  join  in,  partly  because,  like  the  rest 
of  them,  they  hate  us,  partly  to  get  a  share  in  the  loot.  I 
hear  that  some  of  the  traders  are  getting  alarmed,  and  are 
sending  their  goods  down  to  the  port  to  be  shipped  back  to 
Shanghai  by  the  first  steamer  that  comes  along.  I  doirt 
think  that  our  people  are  going  to  do  so." 

"I  am  sure  my  father  will  not,"  Rex  said.  "He  thinks 
there  is  no  doubt  that  we  shall  be  able  to  defend  ourselves 
with  the  aid  of  the  force  they  will  send  up,  and  I  believe  he 
expects  that  they  will  send  some  troops  up  from  Shanghai 
very  shortly.  Things  may  hang  on  as  they  are  for  some  time. 
He  rather  calculates  that  a  good  many  of  the  coolies  who 
have  been  in  the  employ  of  the  various  houses  for  the  past 
ten  or  twelve  years  will  stand  by  us.  I  don't  think  that  any 
strong  national  feeling  exists  among  them,  and  I  believe  they 
will  stick  to  those  who  have  paid  and  treated  them  well.  I 
don't  mean  that  he  thinks  that  they  will  fight,  but  they  will 
throw  up  barricades  and  strengthen  the  godowns.  In  that 
way  they  would  be  of  immense  use." 

"  It  all  depends,  from  what  I  hear,"  Dick  said,  "  upon 
whether  they  have  families  in  the  town.  Those  that  have 
will  be  obliged  to  leave  us  whatever  their  own  feelings  may 
be,  otherwise  their  families  would  be  massacred  at  once. 
Of  course  if  a  man  has  come  from  a  distance  with  a  wife 
and  a  child  or  two  he  will  probably  bring  them  in  here,  but 
those  born  and  bred  here  who  have  lots  of  relations  would 
have  no  option  in  the  matter,  poor  beggars ! " 

More  alarming  reports  from  up  country  continued  to 
arrive,  and  the  greatest  anxiety  began  to  prevail  as  to  the 
fate  of  the  missionaries.  One  morning  when  Rex  went  in  to 
breakfast  he  found  his  mother  in  tears  and  his  father  looking 
very  grave. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  asked. 


THE    BOXERS  35 

"There  is  a  report  in  the  town  that  there  has  been  a  riot 
at  Chafui.  The  mission-house  has  been  attacked,  and  cer 
tainly  some  of  the  missionaries  have  been  killed.  Others, 
it  is  said,  were  taken  to  the  governor's  Yamen.  What  has 
been  their  fate  no  one  knows.  It  is  certain  that  what  troops 
there  were  in  the  town  did  not  in  any  way  interfere  with 
the  Boxers,  and  whether  the  governor  had  the  power  or  the 
will  to  resist  them  is  not  known.  Robson  had  no  right  to 
keep  his  wife  and  girls  there.  I  wrote  him  again  and  again 
begging  him  to  send  them  down  here,  but  he  is  one  of  the 
most  obstinate  men  I  ever  knew.  If  he  liked  to  risk  martyr 
dom,  of  course  he  was  at  liberty  to  do  so,  but  he  had  no  right 
to  expose  them  to  such  a  fate.  However,  it  is  useless  to  talk 
of  that  now.  It  is  maddening  to  think  that  Kate  and  the 
two  girls  should  be  in  the  power  of  these  fiendish  scoun 
drels." 

"  Can  nothing  be  done,  father  ?  " 

"What  can  be  done?"  Mr.  Bateman  said  bitterly.  "It 
will  be  as  much  as  we  are  able  to  do  to  hold  our  own  here. 
The  whole  country  round  is  in  their  hands,  and  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  Admiral  Seymour  can,  with  every  man 
that  possibly  can  be  spared,  fight  his  way  to  Pekin.  which  is 
two  hundred  miles  away.  Certainly  no  force  can  be  spared 
to  rescue  people  who  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Boxers  so  far 
away." 

Rex  stood  in  silent  consternation.  He  had  not  seen  his 
uncle  or  any  of  the  family  since  his  return,  but  his  aunt 
and  the  two  girls  had  been  staying  some  weeks  at  the  house 
before  he  went  away.  "  It  is  awful !  "  he  said  at  last ;  "  and 
Uncle  must  have  been  mad  not  to  have  sent  them  down 
when  the  troubles  began." 

"  I  think  so,  too,  Rex.  As  for  his  staying  himself  it  is 
different.  He  has  a  large  number  of  converts  there,  and  no 


36  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN" 

doubt  he  hoped  that  his  presence  there  would  be  some  pro 
tection.  You  see,  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  Chinese 
dislike  for  us  is  the  missionary  question.  It  is  a  religious 
question  as  much  as  a  political  one.  The  Chinese  are  in  some 
things  very  superstitious.  They  worship  to  some  extent  the 
spirits  of  their  ancestors,  but  for  other  religion  they  care 
but  little.  There  is  no  ill-feeling  between  men  of  different 
religion  here.  No  resistance  was  offered  to  the  spread  of 
Buddhism;  the  Taoists  do  not  quarrel  with  those  who  are 
practically  Confucians.  But  with  Christianity  it  is  different. 
The  converts  come  under  the  protection  of  the  missionaries, 
who  have  behind  them  the  European  powers,  and  conse 
quently  they  are,  to  a  great  extent,  independent  of  the  local 
officials.  The  feeling  has  been  greatly  aggravated  by  France 
insisting  that  her  bishops  should  have  the  rank  of  mandarins, 
and  be  judges  over  their  native  converts.  All  this  has  been 
a  great  mistake,  for  which  we  are  paying  now.  I  believe 
that  our  own  missions  have  striven  hard  to  avoid  giving 
offence,  and  all  missionaries  in  the  up-country  stations  dress 
in  native  costume,  for  the  Chinese  regard  dress  as  a  serious 
matter." 

While  this  conversation  had  been  going  on,  Mrs.  Bateman 
had  left  the  room. 

"You  had  better  sit  down  and  eat  your  breakfast,  Rex. 
You  can  give  me  a  cup  of  tea ;  I  could  not  eat  anything  now. 
Kate  is  very  dear  to  me,  and  so  are  the  girls.  They  were 
here  twice  while  you  were  away,  and  stayed  with  us  each 
time  for  some  weeks." 

"  I  don't  remember  much  about  the  girls,  father.  The 
elder  was  three  years  younger  than  I,  and  was  quite  a  child, 
and  Mabel  was  two  years  younger  still." 

"  They  were  growing  up  very  nice  girls,"  Mr.  Bateman  said 
sadly.  "  Jenny  is  now  nearly  fifteen  and  Mabel  thirteen.  Of 


THE    BOXERS  37 

course  they  had  not  the  freshness  of  girls  brought  up  at 
home,  and  I  spoke  to  their  mother  when  she  was  up  here,  and 
wrote  to  your  uncle,  urging  that  they  should  go  home  for  a 
couple  of  years,  and  offering  to  pay  all  their  expenses.  He 
said  that  in  another  year  he  would  take  the  matter  into  con 
sideration." 

Rex  ate  a  few  mouthfuls,  and  then  went  out  into  the  court 
yard.  Ah  Lo  was  sitting  there.  By  his  serious  face  Rex  saw 
that  he  had  heard  the  news. 

"  This  is  a  terrible  business,"  Rex  began. 

"  A  very  bad  business,  master." 

"  Is  there  anything  to  be  done,  do  you  think  ? " 

The  Chinaman  knit  his  eyebrows.  "  What  could  be  done  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  That  I  don't  know ;  but  it  is  horrible  to  sit  here  and  do 
nothing  when  my  aunt  and  cousins  are,  if  they  are  alive, 
prisoners,  and  may  be  put  to  horrible  tortures  before  they 
are  killed." 

Ah  Lo  was  silent. 

"  Do  you  think  you  and  I  could  get  there  and  try  to  rescue 
them?" 

The  Chinaman's  eyes  opened  wide.  "  Do  you  really  mean 
that,  young  master  ?  " 

"Yes;  I  do  not  see  why  we  should  not  get  there  all  right, 
though  I  don't  say  that  we  could  rescue  them.  We  could 
both  dress  up  as  villagers,  or  as  Boxers  if  you  like,  and  as  I 
speak  Chinese  as  well  as  you  do,  I  don't  see  why  we  should 
not  both  make  our  way  through.  I  could  stain  my  skin  just 
a  little  so  as  to  get  it  just  the  right  colour,  and  shave  my 
head  and  put  on  a  pigtail.  'Many  Chinese  wear  spectacles, 
great  things  with  thick  rims." 

"  Villagers  do  not  often  wear  them,  master,  though  the 
literati  who  wear  their  eyes  out  in  staring  at  a  book  often 


38  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

do.  You  could  not  go  as  one  of  them,  for  you  do  not  speak 
the  same  language." 

"  Well,  I  should  think  that  you  might  paint  a  little  line  in 
each  corner  of  my  eyes  so  as  to  make  them  look  a  little  up 
and  down  like  the  Chinese  eyes." 

"  Ah  Lo  had  better  go  alone/'  the  Chinaman  said  quietly. 

"  Not  at  all,"  Hex  said.  "  My  aunt  and  cousins  are  a 
great  deal  to  me,  they  are  nothing  to  you,  and  I  certainly 
won't  let  you  go  alone." 

"  The  master  would  never  let  you  go,"  Ah  Lo  said  posi 
tively. 

"  I  don't  suppose  he  would ;  but  he  would  not  know  any 
thing  about  it  until  I  had  gone.  I  should  leave  a  letter  be 
hind  telling  him  why  I  had  gone,  and  that  I  was  so 
disguised  that  I  could  pass  for  a  Chinaman  anywhere.  I 
should  say  also  that  I  know  my  chance  of  succeeding  is  not 
great,  but  that  I  consider  the  risk  of  being  found  out  is  still 
less.  I  should,  of  course,  promise  to  take  every  precaution." 

"  The  master  would  never  forgive  me,"  Ah  Lo  said. 

"  Oh,  yes !  he  would.  I  should  say  further  that  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  to  go,  and  that  I  told  you  that  if  you  did  not 
go  with  me  I  should  go  alone,  which  I  mean  to  do.  I  am 
some  months  past  sixteen  now,  and  I  think  I  can  take  care 
of  myself,  though  I  should  feel  a  great  deal  more  comfortable 
having  you  with  me." 


CHAPTER   III 

IN    DISGUISE 

TIT  ELL,  what  do  you  think  of  it,  Ah  Lo?" 

"  If  you  have  quite  made  up  your  mind,  young  master, 
I  will  go  with  you,"  Ah  Lo  said  quietly;  "  if  I  return  with 
you  the  master  will  not  say  mueh,  and  certainly  if  you  do 
not  return  I  shall  not." 

"Thank  you,  Ah  Lo!  Now,  let  us  settle  at  once  how  we 
shall  go,  for  every  hour  is  of  importance.  Which  do  you 
think  would  be  best,  to  go  as  villagers  or  as  Boxers?" 

"  I  think  as  villagers,  master.  We  can  go  from  village  to 
village  with  the  tale  that  we  have  been  coolies  working  here, 
and  that  now  there  is  no  trade  and  no  employment  we  are 
going  to  visit  our  family,  who  live  near  Chafui.  We  can 
carry  with  us  clothes  such  as  the  Boxers  wear,  either  red  or 
yellow,  so  that  when  we  get  to  Chafui  we  can  put  them  on  if 
we  like.  Of  course  we  shall  take  swords  and  long  knives." 

"  I  have  the  two  revolvers  my  uncle  gave  me  when  I  came 
away,"  Rex  said ;  "  we  can  each  carry  one  of  them.  As  we 
shall  say  that  we  come  from  Tientsin,  the  fact  that  we  have 
revolvers  would  excite  no  suspicion.  If  we  are  questioned 
we  could  easily  say  that  we  took  them  secretly  from  our  em 
ployer's  house  when  we  came  away  from  here.  I  have  got  a 
good  stock  of  cartridges.  Of  course  many  of  the  Boxers  are 
armed  with  good  rifles,  but  would  a  villager  be  carrying 
them?" 

"  No,  but  a  coolie  from  here  might  do  so.    Numbers  of  the 

39 


40  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

Boxers  have  been  killed  near  Tientsin,  and  there  would  be 
nothing  improbable  in  the  statement  that  as  we  left  the  town 
we  had  picked  up  two  rifles.  A  good  many  rifles  are  still 
lying  in  the  suburbs  where  the  fighting  went  on;  if  you 
go  out  there  this  morning  you  might  find  a  couple,  for  tho 
streets  are  quite  deserted,  and  then  you  might  put  them  in  a 
doorway  where  we  could  find  them  as  we  went  along.  You 
would  also  have  to  find  some  packets  of  cartridges.  When 
shall  we  start,  master  ?  " 

"  If  we  can  be  ready  to  start  to-night  all  the  better." 
"  There  can  be  no  difficulty  about  that.  I  know  many 
native  shops  where  I  can  get  the  clothes,  and  there  are  plenty 
of  dead  Boxers  from  whom  I  could  take  red  suits.  You  could 
not  get  your  head  shaved  here,  but  I  will  carry  a  razor  and 
soap  with  me,  and  in  the  morning,  first  thing,  will  shave  your 
head.  I  can  buy  a  pigtail  in  the  town,  as  many  people  who 
have  not  much  hair  use  false  pigtails,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  plenty  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  the  empty  shops  in  the 
native  town." 

"  Shall  we  require  to  take  any  food  with  us  ? " 
"  We  can  take  enough  rice  for  our  journey,  master,  and  we 
can  get  tea  anywhere;  but  you  will  have  to  do  without  any 
thing  else." 

"  That  makes  no  difference  at  all ;  I  can  do  very  well  on 
rice,  and  I  can  take  some  of  the  condiments  we  use  with  it. 
Even  if  we  are  searched,  these  will  be  as  natural  as  the  rice." 
"  Is  there  anything  else  that  you  can  think  of,  master  ? " 
"No,  I  cannot  think  of  anything  else  at  present,  but  I 
shall  see  you  again  later,  and  can  then  fix  on  the  hour  for 
starting." 

During  the  time  when  the  danger  was  at  its  greatest  the 
house  had  never  been  so  silent,  or  the  face  of  Mr.  Bateman  so 
grave.  His  wife  was  absolutely  prostrated.  This  added  to 


IN    DISGUISE  41 

the  resolution  the  lad  had  taken.  At  whatever  risk  he  might 
incur,  his  aunt  and  cousins  must  be  rescued  if  they  were 
alive  when  he  reached  Chafui,  and  it  were  within  the  limits 
of  possibility  to  do  so.  lie  did  not  think  that  the  journey  in 
itself  really  involved  any  risk,  and  should  he  find  that  all  had 
been  massacred  he  had  but  to  return.  He  knew  how  precious 
his  life  was  in  the  eyes  of  his  parents,  and  he  resolved  to 
take  every  means  possible  to  avoid  risk.  Even  if  the  news  he 
brought  back  were  of  the  worst,  it  would  be  better  for  his 
mother  than  the  terrible  anxiety  that  she  was  now  suffering 
as  to  the  fate  of  his  aunt  and  cousins. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  father, 
which  ran  as  follows: — 

"  MY  DEAR  FATHER, 

"  When  you  receive  this  I  shall  be  miles  away. 
As  you  know,  as  far  as  talking  goes,  I  can  pass  anywhere  as  a 
native;  and  as  I  shall  be  thoroughly  disguised,  I  feel  sure 
that  with  Ah  Lo  I  could  go  right  through  China  without 
being  suspected.  Seeing  how  terribly  anxious  my  mother 
and  you  are  about  the  safety  of  Aunt  and  the  girls,  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Chafui  to  gather  news  of  them. 
I  am  sure  that  it  would  be  better  for  Mother  to  know  even 
the  worst  than  to  suffer  this  terrible  anxiety.  I  do  not  think 
I  shall  run  any  risk  whatever. 

"  I  must  tell  you  that  though  Ah  Lo  is  going  with  me  it 
is  very  much  against  his  will,  because  he  thought  that  you 
would  blame  him  if  things  went  wrong,  and  it  was  only  when 
I  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  go  with  me  I  should  go  alone 
that  he  consented  to  accompany  me.  It  was  not  that  he 
thought  cf  the  danger,  but  that  he  feared  you  would  be 
displeased  with  him  for  undertaking  this  journey  without 
your  permission.  I  don't  think  that  I  should  have  carried 


42  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKItf 

out  the  threat.  Although  I  know  the  language  well  enough 
I  do  not  know  anything  of  the  customs  and  the  religion,  and 
I  felt  that  it  would  really  be  a  hazardous  enterprise  if  Ah  Lo 
did  not  go  with  me.  Now,  however,  that  at  last  he  has  con 
sented  to  accompany  me,  I  have  no  fear  whatever. 

"  I  should  have  asked  your  permission  to  undertake  this 
expedition,  but  I  was  afraid  that  you  would  refuse,  and  I 
felt  so  sure  of  being  able  to  accomplish  my  purpose  without 
difficulty  that  I  decided  to  go  without  telling  you  of  my 
intention.  You  see,  Father,  it  is  evident  that  after  what  is 
going  on  every  white  man  in  China  will  be  in  peril  for  a 
long  time  to  come,  and  as  it  is  settled  that  I  am  going  to 
stay  here  for  at  any  rate  a  good  many  years,  I  shall  have  to 
run  risks,  and  those  risks  will  be  greater  than  any  I  am  likely 
to  meet  with  now  that  I  am  going  in  disguise.  I  am  quite 
prepared  for  emergencies,  so  I  hope  that  you  will  not  be 
angry,  though  I  know  you  will  be  anxious  until  I  return. 

"  Ah  Lo's  native  village  is  only  a  few  miles  from  Chafui, 
and  his  story  that,  as  there  was  no  longer  work  to  be  done  in 
Tientsin,  he  was  going  for  a  time  to  see  his  friends  is  plaus 
ible.  Indeed,  we  shall  probably  stay  there  among  his  friends 
and  learn  all  that  has  taken  place  in  the  town,  so  that  every 
thing  will  be  easy  sailing.  You  must  not  expect  me  back 
for  about  a  month.  It  will  take  us  ten  days  to  walk  to 
Chafui,  ten  days  to  stay  at  Ah  Lo's  village  and  get  full  in 
formation,  and  ten  to  return.  That  is  as  near  as  I  can  tell 
at  present.  There  may  be  unexpected  delays,  but  anyhow 
we  shall  not  be  back  in  less  than  a  month.  Should  I  find 
that  I  am  likely  to  be  much  longer  away,  I  shall,  if  possible, 
send  one  of  Ah  Lo's  people  down  with  a  message  to  you. 

"  Of  course,  Father,  you  can,  if  you  think  best,  tell  Mother 
where  I  have  gone,  and  why,  or  lead  her  to  believe  that  I 
have  gone  down  to  the  coast  to  make  arrangements  with  ships 


IX   DISGUISE  43 

that  have  arrived  with  goods  for  you,  or  to  act  as  an  inter 
preter  to  the  troops  as  they  come  up. 

"  I  believe  that  if  I  had  never  gone  to  England  I  should 
not  have  thought  of  carrying  out  such  a  plan  as  this,  but 
one  gets  to  think  for  one's  self  when  one  is  at  school.  I  feel 
sure  that  there  was  scarcely  a  fellow  of  my  age  there  who, 
if  he  had  the  advantages  in  the  way  of  speaking  languages 
that  I  have,  would  not  willingly  have  undertaken  the  job. 
Certainly  I  feel  that  the  amount  of  risk  to  be  run  is  very 
small  compared  with  the  importance  of  relieving  Mother's 
mind  and  yours,  and,  of  course,  though  it  is  some  years  since 
I  have  seen  iny  aunt  and  cousins,  I,  toe,  am  very  anxious." 

That  evening  he  felt  even  more  than  before  that  the  pro 
posed  expedition  was  excusable,  for  his  father  said :  "  I  am 
terribly  anxious,  Rex.  Your  mother  has  been  delirious  all 
the  afternoon,  and  the  doctors  are  both  feeling  very  anxiou3 
about  her  mind.  You  see,  we  have  all  gone  through  the 
strain  of  the  last  two  months,  and  this  blow  coming  on  the 
top  of  it  has  had  a  very  much  greater  effect  than  it  would 
have  had  in  ordinary  circumstances.  They  think  that  if  she 
had  known  for  certain  that  her  sister  and  the  girls  had  been 
killed,  the  shock  would  have  had  less  disastrous  effects  than 
this  terrible  uncertainty.  It  may  be  weeks,  it  may  even  be 
months,  before  the  truth  can  be  known  and  her  mind  relieved 
of  the  strain.  They  fear  that  when  the  present  paroxysms 
have  passed  away  she  may  settle  down  into  a  state  of  fixed 
melancholia,  and  if  bad  news  came  then  it  might  simply 
deepen  this  melancholia,  which  would  in  that  case  become 
permanent." 

"  It  is  indeed  terrible,  Father,  but  I  hope  that  the  doctors' 
view  is  a  mistaken  one." 

Mr.  Bateman  shook  his  head  and  passed  his  handkerchief 


44  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

across  his  eyes,  and  if  up  to  that  time  Rex  had  had  any  doubt 
that  he  was  going  to  act  wisely,  he  felt  now  that,  even  apart 
from  his  own  anxiety  about  his  aunt  and  cousins,  he  was 
fully  justified  by  his  mother's  state  in  carrying  out  his 
plan. 

At  eleven  o'clock  that  night  he  crept  out  of  the  house.  He 
had  dyed  his  skin  with  a  mixture  which  Ah  Lo  had  brought 
him,  dressed  himself  in  the  native  clothes,  and  put  the  sword, 
knife,  and  pistol  in  his  belt.  In  a  bundle  he  had  three  boxes 
of  ammunition  and  the  Boxer  clothes,  together  with  a  pair  of 
light  boots  to  put  on  when  there  were  no  villages  near,  in  case 
the  Chinese  shoes  should  gall  his  feet.  Ah  Lo  was  at  the  gate 
of  the  courtyard.  He  wore  no  disguise,  but  had  put  on  coarse 
coolie  clothes  instead  of  those  he  wore  as  a  trusted  servant  in 
the  house. 

"Have  you  got  everything,  Ah  Lo  ? " 

"Everything;  ten  pounds  of  rice,  the  box  of  clothes,  the 
ammunition  for  the  pistols,  another  bottle  of  the  dye  for  your 
skin,  some  black  dye  for  your  eyebrows  and  eyelashes,  and  a 
little  brown  for  the  corners  of  your  eyes.  I  have  changed  the 
piece  of  gold  you  gave  me  for  dollars  in  cash,  and  I  have  got 
a  pigtail  and  the  razor  and  soap." 

"  I  have  bought  a  small  compass,"  Rex  said.  "  It  may  be 
useful  to  us  going  across  the  country,  for  I  know  that  the 
roads  are  mostly  tracks  between  the  villages  and  cross  each 
other  in  all  directions." 

On  leaving  the  premises  they  picked  up  Rex's  rifle  and  bag 
of  ammunition,  and  the  rifle  that  Ah  Lo  had  bought  during 
the  day  and  had  hidden  away  outside  the  settlement.  Then 
they  made  a  detour  to  avoid  the  native  town,  and,  when  once 
fairly  beyond  this,  struck  out  across  the  fields.  They  made  a 
long  detour  to  avoid  the  encampment  of  Chinese  soldiers,  and 
then  struck  into  a  steady  walk. 


IN   DISGUISE  45 

When  a  few  miles  from  the  town  they  saw  fires  burning, 
and  made  another  detour  to  avoid  these,  knowing  that  they 
marked  the  position  of  parties  of  Boxers.  They  walked 
steadily  all  night,  and  in  the  morning  reached  a  village,  hav 
ing  made,  as  they  calculated,  at  least  thirty  miles.  Few 
people  were  about.  Burnt  cottages  showed  that  the  Boxers 
had  passed  that  way  and,  as  usual,  had  looted  and  destroyed 
everything  they  could  lay  hands  on.  Indeed,  not  being  a 
regularly-organized  body,  they  were  forced  to  depend  upon 
what  they  could  take  for  subsistence,  and  were  the  scourge  of 
the  districts  through  which  they  passed. 

"  So  you  are  going  to  Chafui !  "  said  an  old  man  whom 
they  had  asked  if  there  were  any  Boxers  in  the  neighbour 
hood.  "  You  will  have  to  be  very  careful.  Those  who  have 
been  attacking  Tientsin  are  still  in  that  neighbourhood,  but 
you  may  come  across  other  parties  marching  down  to  join 
them.  They  are  terrible  people.  If  anyone  refuses  to  give 
them  all  that  they  ask  for,  they  will  kill  everyone  in  the 
house  and  burn  it  afterwards.  They  make  most  of  the  young 
men  go  with  them  to  fight  the  whites  in  Tientsin.  It  is  a 
terrible  time.  I  can  remember  the  Taiping  rebellion,  and  this 
seems  to  me  to  be  quite  as  bad.  They  all  say  that  the  Em 
press  is  in  their  favour,  but  I  cannot  believe  it.  They  tell 
terrible  tales  about  the  missionaries;  but  I  lived  for  some 
time  at  Chafui,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  were  good  and 
peaceful  people,  and  although  I  stay  so  near  Tientsin  I  have 
not  till  of  late  heard  a  word  against  the  merchants  there. 
They  have  indeed  done  much  good  for  the  town;  they  pay 
those  who  work  for  them  well  and  do  no  harm  to  anyone.  A 
son  of  mine  worked  for  them  for  ten  years,  and  came  back 
with  enough  money  to  live  comfortably  all  his  life.  He  was  a 
good  son,  and  helped  me  as  a  son  should  do,  but  the  Boxers 
killed  him  a  month  ago  because  he  ventured  to  say  that  so 


46  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

far  from  doing  harm  the  foreigners  enriched  the  town  and 
brought  much  trade  into  it." 

"  I  shall  take  care  to  keep  my  mouth  shut  when  I  get 
home,"  Ah  Lo  said.  "  I  too  have  worked  for  them  and  found 
them  good  masters  and  just  people,  but  after  what  you  have 
told  me  I  shall  take  care  not  to  say  a  word  in  their  favour." 

"  You  will  be  wise  not  to  do  so.  And  now  you  say  you 
wish  to  sleep,  as  you  have  walked  all  night.  You  can  lie 
down  in  the  room  upstairs;  no  one  will  disturb  you.  We 
used  to  be  glad  to  question  strangers  who  came  along,  for 
further  news,  but  now  our  own  troubles  are  quite  as  much 
as  we  can  think  of.  I  fear  that  this  will  continue  until  the 
last  of  the  sea-pirates  is  killed;  after  that  who  can  say  what 
will  happen ! " 

After  cooking  the  rice  they  had  bought,  and  eating  a  meal, 
they  went  upstairs  and  slept  for  many  hours.  As  soon  as 
night  fell  they  continued  their  journey,  and  on  the  seventh 
morning  after  starting  they  arrived  within  a  few  miles  of 
Chafui.  They  had  met  with  no  adventures  on  the  way. 
Several  times  they  went  into  the  fields  and  hid  among  grow 
ing  grain  to  avoid  a  party  of  the  enemy,  and  once,  just  as 
they  had  arrived  in  a  village,  a  band  of  Boxers  came  in,  but 
they  managed  to  slip  out  of  the  house  unobserved  and  spent 
the  night  in  the  fields. 

They  had  agreed  that  they  would  not  enter  Chafui  until 
they  had  first  paid  a  visit  to  Ah  Lo's  native  village,  where 
they  would  be  able  to  learn  the  state  of  things  in  the  town. 
They  could  then  decide  whether  it  would  be  best  to  put  on 
their  Boxer  dresses  or  not.  They  had  scarcely  entered  the 
village  when  Ah  Lo  was  recognized.  As  one  of  his  old  friends 
shouted  his  name  and  a  welcome,  people  ran  out  from  all  the 
houses  to  greet  them,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  his  father's 
door  he  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  friends  and  neigh- 


IX   DISGUISE  47 

hours,  and  Kex  understood  for  the  first  time  how  very  close 
was  the  family  bond  in  China. 

It  was  five  years  since  Ah  Lo  had  been  there,  and  he  was 
greeted  as  a  wanderer  returning  to  his  parents,  and  bringing, 
no  doubt,  some  of  the  proceeds  of  his  labours.  Indeed,  the 
villagers  had  already  benefited,  for  while  he  was  in  England 
he  regularly  forwarded  a  portion  of  his  wages  to  his  parents. 
Thus  he  bore  a  good  name.  lie  had  never  brought  any 
trouble  upon  the  village;  he  had  never  been  called  upon  to 
pay  a  fine  for  his  misdeeds;  and  his  father  and  mother  were 
considered  fortunate  people  in  having  such  a  son.  They  too 
had  come  to  the  door,  attracted  by  che  loud  talking  outside, 
and  their  delight  at  his  return  was  touching. 

When  at  last  they  had  entered  the  house  and  closed  the 
door  the  old  man  said :  "  We  have  been  uneasy  about  you. 
The  message  telling  us  of  your  return,  and  your  welcome 
present,  gave  us  at  first  great  joy;  but  when,  two  days  later, 
the  disturbances  began  we  trembled  for  your  safety,  and  have 
offered  up  many  prayers  to  Buddha  to  preserve  you  for  us. 
But  I  see  that  things  have  gone  wrong  with  you.  Last  time 
you  came  you  were  well  clad,  and  all  said  truly,  '  Ah  Lo  is 
making  his  fortune';  but  now  your  clothes  are  those  of  a 
common  man." 

"  I  have  so  clad  myself,  Father,  in  order  to  escape  plunder 
on  my  way  with  my  friend  here.  He  too  belongs  to  the  white 
merchant  for  whom  I  have  worked  so  long.  Like  myself  he 
wanted  to  escape  from  the  city  where  there  was  such  fierce 
fighting,  and  as  trade  was  at  a  stand-still  we  had  no  difficulty 
in  getting  away." 

"  He  is  welcome  for  your  sake,"  the  old  man  said.  "  If  he 
is  your  friend,  assuredly  he  is  our  friend  also,  and  he  shall 
share  with  us  all  we  have,  which,  indeed,  we  owe  chiefly  to 
you.  And  have  you  come  to  stay  with  us  for  good,  Ah  Lo  ?" 


48  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  No,  Father,  I  have  come  to  gather  news,  and  that  partly 
on  business;  so  my  pay  is  still  going  on.  As  you  know,  the 
missionary  at  Chafui  is  the  brother  of  my  patron — at  least  his 
wife  is  sister  of  my  patron's  wife.  News  has  reached  him  that 
there  were  bad  doings  at  Chafui,  and  consequently  he  and 
his  wife  are  greatly  disturbed;  so  I  said  that  I  would  come 
here  and  learn  the  truth  of  the  reports  that  we  had  heard." 

"  It  is  true,"  his  father  said.  "  The  Boxers  came  to  Chafui 
and  stirred  up  the  people  of  the  town,  and  they  ran  together 
and  attacked  the  praying-house  and  the  people  who  have 
taken  to  the  strange  religion.  The  missionary  fought  hard 
when  they  attacked  his  house,  but  what  could  he  and  a  hand 
ful  of  his  followers  do  against  many  hundreds  ?  The  soldiers 
did  not  move  to  help  him,  and  the  house  was  taken  and  he 
was  killed.  The  women  of  the  family  were  carried  to  the 
governor's  yamen.  It  was  reported  that  his  wife  has  died 
from  grief  and  terror,  but  I  cannot  say  whether  that  is  true ; 
of  her  daughters  I  have  not  heard." 

This  confirmation  of  his  worst  fears  was  a  terrible  blow  to 
Rex,  who  with  difficulty  restrained  himself  from  bursting 
into  tears. 

"  That  is  bad  news  indeed,"  Ah  Lo  said  gravely.  "  It  will 
be  a  heavy  blow  to  my  patron  and  his  wife,  and  I  myself  am 
sorely  grieved,  as  is  also  Shen  Yo,  my  companion;  for  we 
have  both  seen  the  lady  and  her  children  when  they  have  been 
staying  at  our  patron's  house.  They  were  good  people  and 
kindly,  and  assuredly  never  did  anyone  any  harm." 

"  They  were  well  spoken  of,"  Ah  Lo's  father  said :  "  no  one 
had  any  harm  to  say  of  them.  It  was  not  until  the  Boxers 
stirred  up  the  rabble  of  the  town  against  these  Christians  that 
there  was  any  disturbance  here.  It  was  always  said  that  the 
governor  was  unfavourable  to  the  Christians,  but  as  they  gave 
no  cause  of  complaint  things  have  always  gone  on  quietly 


IN    DISGUISE  49 

enough,  as  the  orders  from  Pekin  always  have  been  that  they 
should  not  be  molested.  But  for  some  weeks  past  we  have 
heard  reports  that  the  Empress  had  turned  her  face  against 
them,  and  that  her  counsellors  were  of  opinion  that  these 
foreign  people  should  be  destroyed  or  driven  from  the 
country.  We  even  heard  that  men  were  being  drilled  in 
Pekin;  but  people  in  general  did  not  think  much  of  these 
things  until  the  Boxers  grew  numerous  and  began  to  create 
disturbances.  Many  of  us  were  grieved,  for  the  white  people 
had  shown  much  kindness  and  had  given  good  medicines  to 
people  who  were  ill,  and  in  other  ways  had  done  much  good. 
But,  of  course,  when  the  Empress  and  her  counsellors  had 
given  the  word  to  kill,  no  one  would  venture  to  withstand 
the  Boxers  and  the  rabble  of  the  town.  The  governor  knew 
the  will  of  those  in  high  places,  and  when  word  was  sent  to 
him  of  what  was  being  done,  he  remained  in  his  yameii  and 
kept  the  soldiers  quiet,  so  that  no  one  dared  to  lift  a  finger  to 
aid  the  whites.  Many  tales  were  told  of  their  ill  doings;  how 
they  stole  little  children  and  sacrificed  them  to  their  gods; 
but  for  myself  I  did  not  believe  these  things.  We  have  always 
heard  from  you  that  the  whites  were  good  people,  that  they 
treated  all  natives  well,  and  assuredly  if  you  had  heard  of 
such  doings  as  this  you  would  not  have  remained  with  them. 
Therefore  we  did  not  believe  these  tales  to  their  disadvantage, 
but  we  should  only  have  thrown  away  our  lives  if  we  had 
ventured  to  express  our  feelings.  Even  in  the  village  most 
people  believed  the  tales,  and  said  it  was  good  that  the 
foreign  devils  should  be  destroyed,  so  now  that  you  have 
come  back  you  must  not  speak  in  favour  of  these  people  or 
you  will  assuredly  lose  your  life." 

"  I  shall  hold  my  tongue,  Father.  Who  am  I  that  I  should 
disobey  the  orders  of  the  Empress  ?  Nevertheless,  I  tell  you 
that  these  white  people  are  good.  Have  I  not  lived  among 


50  WITH    THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

them  for  nearly  four  years  ?  They  are  good  people.  Among 
them  no  one  is  ill-treated,  or  beaten,  or  put  to  death.  None 
carry  weapons;  everyone  respects  the  others.  Although  I 
was  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner,  no  one  molested  me;  I  went 
and  came  as  I  chose.  As  to  their  offering  sacrifices  and 
killing  children,  the  thing  is  absurd.  They  are  anxious  to  do 
good  to  foreigners,  and  subscribe  great  sums  to  send  their 
priests  abroad  that  they  may  teach  other  people  their  religion. 
All  these  stories  that  are  told  about  them  are  lies,  and  they 
have  been  told  for  the  purpose  of  rousing  ill-feeling  against 
them.  I  am  grieved  that  this  trouble  has  come  about,  but 
assuredly  it  is  no  business  of  mine,  except  in  so  far  as  it  con 
cerns  the  friends  of  my  patron.  The  ladies  have  stayed  at 
his  house,  and  they  have  spoken  kindly  to  me  and  have  given 
me  money.  I  would  do  much  for  them  for  their  own  sake, 
as  well  as  for  that  of  my  patron,  who,  as  I  have  always  told 
you,  is  the  best  man  I  have  ever  met.  But  I  see  that  I  can 
do  nothing,  and  I  can  only  grieve  over  the  misfortunes  that 
have  befallen  him.  Of  course  I  shall  say  nothing  here  as  to 
my  feelings,  and  shall  even  join  in  the  cry  against  the  for 
eigners.  I  have  no  wish  to  throw  away  my  life  and  to  bring 
disgrace  and  death  upon  you  and  my  mother." 

"  That  is  right,  Ah  Lo.  It  would  assuredly  bring  terrible 
misfortune  upon  you  were  you  to  say  a  word  in  favour  of  the 
Christians.  There  are  many  who  share  your  feelings,  but 
they  dare  not  open  their  lips,  and  you  too  must  hide  your 
real  sentiments.  The  order  has  come  that  the  Christians 
must  be  destroyed,  and  that  order  must  be  obeyed.  Most  of 
the  young  men  of  the  village  have  joined  the  Boxers,  fearing 
that  unless  they  did  so  evil  would  befall  them.  Now  tell  me 
something  about  the  country  where  you  have  been  living,  and 
about  these  strange  people,  who  are  not  content  to  live  in 
their  own  island,  but  come  here  to  turn  the  minds  of  the 


IX    DISGUISE  51 

people  against  their  god  and  to  bring  trouble  on  the  land. 
Are  there  many  of  them  ?  " 

"  Very  many ;  not  so  many  as  there  are  in  China,  but  they 
are  brave  soldiers,  and  have  arms  altogether  superior  to  ours. 
That,  together  with  the  way  in  which  they  are  trained,  gives 
them  a  great  advantage  over  us.  But  though  they  can  fight 
well,  they  do  not  wish  to  fight.  They  are  great  traders,  and 
it  is  only  when  their  trade  is  interfered  with,  or  their  people 
ill-treated,  that  they  go  to  war.  They  have  no  enmity  against 
people  of  other  religions,  and  all  the  time  that  I  was  in  Eng 
land  no  one  ever  tried  to  turn  me  from  my  faith.  No  one 
said  a  word  against  Buddha,  or  interfered  with  me  in  any 
way.  They  think  that  their  religion  is  right,  just  as  we 
believe  in  ours,  and  they  try  to  convert  others,  just  as  the 
Buddhists  came  to  China  and  converted  large  numbers  of  our 
people.  They  think  that  they  are  doing  good,  and  spend  much 
money  in  trying  to  do  so.  It  is  strange  to  me  that  they 
cannot  leave  things  alone,  but  it  is  their  way,  and  certainly  I 
have  no  ill-will  towards  them  on  that  account.  When  my 
mother  has  got  our  meal  ready,  and  we  have  eaten,  I  will 
tell  you  much  about  them  and  of  the  life  that  I  led  there ; 
but  the  tale  is  so  long  that  I  dare  not  begin  it  fasting." 

For  two  or  three  hours  Ah  Lo  talked  with  his  parents,  and 
then  went  out  into  the  village  with  Rex  and  chatted  with  the 
villagers.  He  learned  a  good  deal  as  to  the  state  of  the 
town,  and  arranged  to  buy  some  vegetables,  saying  that  he 
wanted  to  go  in  and  see  for  himself  what  had  taken  place, 
and  that  he  did  not  like  going  in  empty-handed,  as  he  might 
be  ill-treated  by  the  Boxers  were  he  walking  about  idly. 

The  great  topic  of  conversation,  however,  was  with  regard 
to  the  fighting  at  Tientsin.  Few  particulars  of  this  had  been 
heard,  and  the  villagers  were  astonished  when  they  heard  that 
the  white  devils  had  resisted  all  attacks  upon  them  and  had 


52  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   TEKIN 

repulsed  the  Boxers  with  great  slaughter,  although  the  latter 
were  no  doubt  much  more  numerous  and  had  succeeded  in 
destroying  the  greater  portion  of  the  town.  Ah  Lo,  however, 
told  his  friends  that  the  Boxers  were  still  excited,  and  would 
no  doubt  renew  their  attacks  with  greater  success,  although 
some  of  the  sailors  from  the  ships  were  coming  up  to  aid  the 
whites. 

"  I  was  glad  to  get  away,"  he  continued,  "  for  there  was 
always  shooting  going  on,  and  I  feared  that  if  the  Boxers 
came  in  they  would  kill  those  who  were  in  the  employment  of 
the  whites.  Most  of  these  men  managed  to  escape  before  I 
did,  but  I  took  the  opportunity  of  the  lull  in  fighting  to  escape 
at  night." 

It  was  not  Until  the  old  people  had  retired  for  the  night 
that  Ah  Lo  and  Rex  sat  down  to  talk  with  each  other.  It 
had  been  a  long  and  painful  day  for  the  lad;  he  had  been 
compelled  to  appear  at  his  ease,  to  answer  innumerable  ques 
tions,  and  to  support  Ah  Lo  in  his  various  statements.  But 
when  at  last  he  found  himself  alone  with  his  faithful  servant 
he  exclaimed ;  "  Thank  God,  Ah  Lo,  we  can  now  talk  and 
decide  what  is  to  be  done!  I  feel  almost  mad  at  the  news. 
It  is  bad  enough  to  know  that  my  aunt  has  died,  but  to 
think  of  my  cousin  in  the  hands  of  these  fiends  is  enough 
to  drive  me  out  of  my  mind.  Of  course  we  must  try  to 
rescue  them.  How  it  is  to  be  accomplished  I  have  not  the 
faintest  idea  at  present,  but  I  am  quite  resolved  that  if  it  is 
in  any  way  possible  it  must  be  done." 

"  I  am  ready  to  do  what  I  can,  master,  but  if  they  are  in 
the  governor's  yamen  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  manage  to 
release  them." 

"No,  nor  do  I;  but  there  must  be  some  way.  There  is 
always  some  way,  Ah  Lo,  if  one  can  but  hit  on  it.  I  suppose 
the  governor's  yamen  will  be  guarded  by  soldiers  ? " 


IX    DISGUISE  53 

"  It  is  certain  to  be,"  Ah  Lo  said.  "  It  would  be  in  ordi 
nary  times,  but  now  the  watch  is  probably  more  strict  than 
ever,  because,  although  the  governor  has  sided  with  the 
Boxers,  it  is  probable  that  he  is  still  afraid  that  they  may 
attack  him." 

"  Well,  to-morrow  we  must  have  a  good  look  at  the  place. 
It  is  certain  that  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  these  two 
poor  girls  may  at  any  moment  be  murdered.  We  may  take 
it  as  certain  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  releasing  them  by 
force.  The  people  here  are  evidently  so  completely  cowed  by 
the  Boxers  that  it  would  be  hopeless  to  get  any  of  them  to  aid 
us  in  that  way.  We  can  do  nothing  until  we  see  the  place. 
I  suppose  you  know  it  ? " 

"Yes,  there  is  a  large  courtyard  in  front  of  it,  with  a 
guard-house  at  the  gate,  and  a  wall  runs  across  the  court 
yard  just  about  the  middle  of  the  house.  In  the  front  part 
are  the  public  offices,  in  the  back  the  governor's  private  apart 
ments.  Behind  the  building  there  is  a  large  garden." 

"  And  it  is  probable  that  the  prisoners  are  kept  at  the  back 
of  the  house?" 

"  It  may  be  so,  master,  but  one  cannot  say.  It  is  possible 
that  the  public  may  be  permitted  to  stare  at  them,  and  in 
that  case  they  might  be  in  the  front  part  of  the  house." 

"  That  doesn't  matter  much.  When  we  are  in  the  town 
to-morrow  we  will  go  into  the  courtyard  if  the  gates  are  open 
and  the  public  are  admitted ;  if  not,  we  must  try  some  other 
means  to  find  them.  Now,  from  what  you  say,  I  should  think 
that  it  is  by  the  garden  that  we  must  effect  an  entrance. 
Though  there  may  be  sentries  in  front  of  the  house,  it  is 
hardly  likely  that  any  will  be  placed  in  the  garden.  But  if 
sentries  are  there  we  ought  to  have  no  difficulty  in  settling 
them.  Once  into  the  garden,  we  ought  easily  to  effect  an 
entrance  by  a  door  or  a  window.  Then,  of  course,  we  should 


54  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

have  to  be  guided  by  circumstances,  for  there  will  doubtless 
be  a  number  of  servants  sleeping  in  the  passages,  and  pos 
sibly  some  soldiers.  You  are  going  to  help  me,  aren't  you, 
Ah  Lo?'7 

"  Certainly,  master ;  I  have  come  here  to  do  so.  My  life  is 
of  little  consequence  to  me.  If  it  is  my  fate  to  die  now  I 
must  die.  Tell  me  what  you  want  done  and  I  will  do  it." 

"  Thank  you,  Ah  Lo !  I  knew  that  I  could  rely  upon  you. 
If  I  could  manage  it  by  myself  I  would  do  so,  but  certainly  I 
shall  require  assistance.  We  have  to  consider  not  only  how 
to  get  the  girls  out,  but  also  how  we  are  to  escape  pursuit.  Of 
course  we  shall  need  disguises,  for  there  is  sure  to  be  a  hot 
search,  and  the  whole  country  will  be  scoured." 

"  Well,  master,  we  may  as  well  sleep  now.  We  can  talk 
matters  over  when  we  go  to  the  town  in  the  morning.  A 
couple  of  great  baskets  of  vegetables  will  be  ready  for  us  in 
the  morning,  and  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to  talk  over 
our  plans  as  we  go  along." 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  RESCUE 

AN"  hour  after  dawn  they  started.  Early  as  it  was  the 
-£*-  vegetables  had  been  cut  and  packed  in  three  largo 
baskets,  and  after  paying  for  them  they  put  the  straps  of  the 
baskets  across  their  foreheads  and  started.  The  loads  were 
fairly  heavy  and  although  Ah  Lo  carried  his  without  diffi 
culty,  Rex  found  the  strap  press  very  heavily  011  his  fore 
head. 

"  I  was  thinking  it  over  in  the  night,  master,"  Ah  Lo  said, 
when  they  had  gone  a  short  distance. 

"  Don't  call  me  master,  Ah  Lo ;  you  know  that  we  agreed 
that  you  should  always  call  me  Shen  Yo." 

"  I  will  try  to  do  so.  Well,  I  have  been  thinking  it  over, 
and  I  consider  that  if  we  succeed  in  getting  the  ladies  away, 
we  should  at  first  go  north.  The  search  will  be  made  for  us 
chiefly  on  the  roads  to  Tientsin  and  Pekin.  The  distance  is 
about  the  same  to  both  towns.  They  will  scarcely  suspect 
that  we  have  gone  north,  and  if  we  travel  all  night,  hide  in  a 
rice-field  during  the  day,  and  then  again  travel  all  night, 
we  should  be  beyond  the  reach  of  searchers,  and  could  then 
travel  round  to  Pekin,  which  would.  I  think,  be  safer  than 
Tientsin,  where  the  Boxers  will  always  be  in  numbers.  Of 
course  we  must  have  disguises  for  the  ladies.  Their  best  plan 
would  be  to  dress  as  boys.  Chinese  women  do  not  travel 
about,  and  their  doing  so  would  at  once  give  rise  to  sus 
picion.  We  must,  of  course,  get  some  stain  to  give  them  the 

55 


56  WITH   THE    ALUES   TO   PEKIN 

proper  native  colour.  When  we  have  turned  our  faces  to 
wards  Pekin  we  must  state  that  you  and  I  are  going  to  enlist 
in  the  Chinese  army,  that  we  have  friends  in  Pekin,  and  that 
the  boys  are  going  with  us  to  get  any  work  they  can.  We 
can  account  for  our  guns  by  saying  that  we  have  obtained 
them  from  some  of  the  Boxers  who  had  brought  them  from 
Tientsin." 

"Yes,  we  must  stick  to  them  if  we  can,"  Kex  agreed. 
"  As  they  are  magazine  rifles  we  ought  to  be  a  match  for  any 
twenty  of  these  villagers  or  a  dozen  Boxers;  and  at  any  rate, 
if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  we  could  be  killed  fighting 
and  not  be  put  to  death  by  slow  torture. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  too,"  Rex  added,  "  that  the  best 
thing  to  do  will  be  to  set  the  house  on  fire.  If  we  take  in  with 
us  a  large  can  of  spirit,  sprinkle  it  over  everything  in  one  of 
the  rooms,  and  then  spill  -a  lot  in  the  passage  and  set  it  all 
alight,  the  sudden  alarm  will  create  such  a  tremendous  con 
fusion  and  panic  that  we  may  be  able  to  seize  the  girls  and 
carry  them  off  without  being  noticed." 

"  That  would  be  a  very  good  plan,"  Ah  Lo  agreed.  "  We 
shall  have  to  carry  a  heavy  sledge-hammer  with  us  to  break 
in  the  door  of  their  prison,  for  they  are  sure  to  be  locked  up. 
A  sentry  will  probably  be  stationed  at  their  door,  and  of 
course  we  must  stab  him.  If  we  set  fire  to  the  house,  as  you 
propose,  we  had  better  carry  thick  clothes  with  us  to  throw 
round  them,  as,  in  order  to  carry  them  off,  we  may  have  to 
run  through  the  flames.  The  wrappings  will  protect  them, 
and  besides  people  won't  notice  what  we  are  carrying  and 
will  think  that  we  are  rescuing  valuables  from  the  flames. 
It  will  be  well  also,  if  possible,  to  seize  porcelain  jars  or  other 
valuables.  I  can  carry  the  elder  girl;  and  you  can  take  the 
younger  on  one  shoulder,  and  carry  a  jar  or  some  other 
valuable  on  the  other.  We  had  better  have  cloaks  and  broad 


A   BESCUE  57 

hats,  like  those  of  the  soldiers.  There  would  be  no  fear,  in 
the  confusion,  of  anyone  noticing  our  faces. 

"  I  really  think,  Shen  Yo,  that  we  may  be  able  to  succeed. 
It  did  not  seem  possible  at  first,  but  I  think  now  that  with 
the  aid  of  fire  we  may  be  successful." 

"  I  certainly  don't  see  why  we  shouldn't,"  Hex  said.  "  In 
such  wild  confusion  as  there  would  be,  no  one  would  notice 
anyone  else.  The  great  thing  is  to  be  quite  sure  where  the 
girls  are  kept,  and  that  we  must  find  out  to-day  if  possible. 
We  will  get  rid  of  our  vegetables  as  soon  as  we  can,  and  then 
wander  about  with  the  empty  baskets  on  our  shoulders.  We 
shall  then  see  if  people  go  in  and  out  of  the  yamcn.  It  is 
most  likely  that  they  will.  Many  will  have  petitions  to  make 
and  some  complaints  to  lay  before  the  governor.  Some, 
perhaps,  will  only  go  in  to  stare  about.  Possibly  a  little  cash 
may  induce  one  of  the  soldiers  to  point  out  the  door  of  the 
room  where  the  girls  are  confined,  and  that  will  be  all  that  we 
shall  want.  When  we  have  found  that  out  we  shall  have  to 
buy  two  suits  of  clothes  for  the  girls,  two  cloaks  and  hats  like 
those  worn  by  the  military,  long  lengths  of  rope  for  climbing 
the  wall  and  getting  down,  a  hook  of  some  sort  for  catching 
the  top  of  the  wall,  a  sledge-hammer,  a  chisel  for  opening  a 
door  or  a  window,  and  a  bottle  holding  a  couple  of  gallons  of 
spirit.  Can  you  think  of  anything  else  ?  " 

"We  must  get  some  provisions  and  leave  them  at  the 
bottom  of  the  wall  before  we  climb  up,  for  we  must  not  go 
anywhere  to  buy  food  for  the  first  day  or  two  after  we  start." 

"  Yes,  that  will  certainly  be  a  good  plan." 

When  they  approached  Chafui  they  overtook  some  other 
peasants  also  carrying  in  vegetables,  and,  joining  them,  they 
entered  the  town  together.  Numbers  of  Boxers  in  their  red 
jackets  were  in  the  streets,  and  a  good  many  of  the  regular 
soldiers.  The  townspeople  were  moving  about;  some  were 


58  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

laughing  and  chatting  with  the  soldiers,  others  moved  quietly 
about,  evidently  feeling  by  no  means  sure  that  the  Boxers 
would  not,  before  they  left  the  town,  plunder  the  houses. 

Rex  and  Ah  Lo  were  not  long  in  disposing  of  the  contents 
of  their  baskets,  and  they  moved  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
yamen  as  they  did  so,  getting  rid  of  a  large  number  of  their 
goods  within  a  short  distance  of  the  gate.  They  sat  down  for 
a  while  near  the  gate  of  the  yamen  and  watched  the  people 
go  in  and  out  of  the  courtyard.  Then,  approaching  the  gate, 
they  laid  their  blankets  down  a  short  distance  from  the 
soldiers  standing  at  the  gate,  and  entered.  No  questions 
were  asked,  and,  crossing  the  courtyard,  they  entered  the 
house.  They  saw  two  soldiers  standing  at  a  door  and  went 
up  to  them. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? "  one  of  them  asked. 

"  Can  we  see  the  little  white  devils  ?  We  have  come  a  long 
way  to  have  a  look  at  them."  And  he  slipped  a  few  coins 
into  the  man's  hands. 

"  No,  you  can't  see  them,"  the  man  said ;  "  the  orders  of 
the  governor  are  strict.  They  won't  be  here  much  longer; 
the  governor  expects  a  message  from  the  viceroy  to-morrow, 
and  then  we  shall  put  an  end  to  them.  It  might  just  as  well 
have  been  done  at  first.  If  it  had,  we  should  have  been 
saved  the  trouble  of  keeping  sentry  over  them  for  the  past 
week." 

This  was  serious  news,  but  they  had  seen  all  they  required. 
There  was  a  door  between  the  private  apartment  and  the 
public  rooms.  This  was  closed,  and  the  room  occupied  by  the 
prisoners  was  next  to  it.  Having  ascertained  this  important 
fact,  Rex  and  his  follower  left  the  house,  took  up  their 
baskets,  and  walked  off. 

"  I  think  that  is  as  well  as  we  could  expect,"  Rex  said. 
"  We  may  take  it  for  certain  that  no  sentries  will  be  placed 


A   RESCUE  59 

in  the  private  part  of  the  house;  so  that  if  we  enter  on  that 
side  we  can  make  our  preparations  and  light  our  fire  without 
fear  of  being  disturbed.  Now  we  had  better  take  a  turn  round 
the  place  behind,  to  choose  the  spot  where  we  will  climb  over, 
and  see  if  any  sentries  are  placed  on  that  side." 

The  wall  was  about  fourteen  feet  high,  and  there  was  a 
door  at  the  back.  All  was  quiet,  and  there  was  a  piece  of 
waste  ground  behind  the  garden.  They  examined  the  door 
carefully. 

"  I  think,  Ah  Lo,"  said  Rex,  "  it  will  be  better  to  cut  round 
this  lock,  if  we  cannot  force  it,  instead  of  climbing  over  the 
wall.  That  would  take  us  time;  while  if  the  door  could 
be  opened  at  once  we  should  run  straight  down  the  garden, 
close  the  door  behind  us,  and  make  off  without  a  moment's 
delay." 

"  It  would  certainly  be  much  better,"  Ah  Lo  agreed.  "  We 
should  have  plenty  of  time  to  cut  through  the  door  after  it 
gets  dark.  If  we  decide  to  do  that  we  shall  have  to  buy  a 
saw  and  a  tool  for  cutting  a  hole  through  which  to  thrust  it. 
It  would  certainly  be  a  relief  to  get  rid  of  the  ropes.  We  may 
as  well  get  the  other  things  at  once,  and  then  we  can  sit 
down  in  some  quiet  place,  eat  our  food,  and  talk  matters 
over." 

When  Ah  Lo  had  bought  all  the  various  things  they  re 
quired,  they  sat  down  with  their  backs  against  a  wall.  All 
their  purchases  were  stowed  in  the  bottom  of  one  of  their 
baskets,  the  other  being  put  into  it  so  that  no  one  might  see 
what  they  were  carrying. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Rex  when  they  were  seated,  "  it  won't  be 
an  easy  job.  In  the  first  place,  we  have  to  make  an  en 
trance  ;  I  don't  think  that  there  will  be  much  difficulty  about 
that.  Then,  you  see,  we  shall  have  to  light  a  fire  in  two 
rooms,  one  on  each  side,  and  as  the  flames  rush  out  of  the 


60  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

doors,  we  must  open  the  door  of  communication.  Probably 
it  is  fastened  with  a  bar.  There  must  be  a  sufficient  blaze  to 
cause  a  panic  among  the  sentries.  For  a  moment  there  will, 
no  doubt,  be  a  tremendous  uproar,  and  anyone  in  the  pas 
sage  or  rooms  will  rush  out.  Then  we  must  seize  the  moment 
to  break  in  the  door.  If  the  sentries  should  keep  their  place, 
which  I  should  think  is  very  doubtful,  we  must  throw  our 
selves  upon  them  at  once.  The  door  once  open,  the  rest  will 
be  easy;  we  shall  have  but  to  wrap  the  girls  in  the  blankets 
and  run  through  the  fire  with  them.  The  critical  moment 
will  be  that  at  which  we  open  the  door;  we  must  make 
perfectly  sure  that  the  two  sentries  are  taken  by  surprise. 
I  have  every  hope  that  the  place  will  be  burnt  down,  and  in 
that  case  it  is  likely  enough  that  they  will  never  give  the 
captives  a  thought  beyond  concluding  that  they  have  been 
burnt  to  death.  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  take  the 
hangings  from  some  of  the  rooms,  roll  them  up  into  a  bundle, 
and  soak  them  with  the  spirit.  Then,  when  we  have  taken 
down  the  bar  and  have  the  door  ready  for  opening,  we  will 
light  that  bundle,  so  that  when  we  open  the  door  there  will  be 
a  great  blaze  close  to  the  men  and  at  the  same  time  they  will 
see  the  flames  from  the  rooms  farther  down  the  passage.  The 
scare  is  almost  certain  to  make  them  bolt,  and  we  can  then 
break  in  the  other  door.  The  noise  will  merely  sound  to 
them  as  if  something  on  fire  had  fallen  down,  and  we  shall 
have  got  the  girls  out  through  the  door  before  they  can  open 
the  gate  of  the  yard  and  call  the  sentries  from  the  guard 
house." 

"  I  think  it  ought  all  to  go  right,"  Ah  Lo  agreed.  "  Now, 
master,  I  think  that  I  will  go  back  again.  I  must  see  my 
father  and  mother  and  tell  them  that  I  have  to  go  away  on 
urgent  business,  for  that  I  hear  the  Boxers  are  coming  to  our 
village  in  the  morning  to  search  for  every  able-bodied  man, 


A   RESCUE  61 

and  that,  therefore,  I  must  leave  at  once.  What  will  you 
do?" 

"  Can  we  return  to  the  back  of  this  yamen  without  passing- 
through  the  town  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  I  will  go  with  you.  We  need  not  bring  our  baskets 
back  with  us;  we  can  make  the  things  up  into  a  bundle.  I 
would  rather  walk  home  with  you  and  return  than  haiiy 
about  here  where  I  might  be  questioned." 

Accordingly  they  again  took  their  baskets  011  their  backs 
and  returned  to  the  village,  hiding  their  parcels  before  they 
entered.  Hearing  the  news  they  brought,  several  young  men, 
who  had  managed  to  escape  the  last  search  of  the  Boxers,  at 
once  made  off  into  the  country.  Ah  Lo  and  Kex  remained 
with  the  two  old  people  until  dusk.  The  old  people  were 
much  distressed  to  hear  that  their  son  had  to  leave  them  so 
soon.  He  promised  to  pay  them  a  longer  visit  as  soon  as  it 
was  safe  to  do  so,  and  having  left  a  sufficient  supply  of 
money  to  last  them  for  some  time,  he  took  a  tender  farewell 
of  them  and  started  once  more  with  his  companion. 

They  arrived  without  adventure  at  the  back  of  the  yamen, 
and  at  once  set  to  work  on  the  lock,  as  it  was  now  perfectly 
dark  and  the  streets  were  already  deserted  except  by  parties 
of  Boxers.  In  an  hour  they  had  cut  round  the  lock,  but 
then  they  found  that  the  door  was  also  held  by  bolts.  It 
did  not  take  them  long,  however,  to  enlarge  the  hole  suffi 
ciently  for  Rex  to  get  his  arm  through  and  unfasten  the 
bolts.  They  now  waited  until  the  lights  in  the  house  grad 
ually  disappeared,  and  then  moved  quietly  up  to  it.  They 
found,  as  they  hoped  would  be  the  case,  that  the  door  of  the 
house  was  unfastened. 

Having  ascertained  this,  they  waited  another  hour  until 
they  were  sure  that  everyone  was  asleep.  Then  they  entered, 


62  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

lit  a  lamp  that  they  had  bought  for  the  purpose,  and  set  to 
work.  They  soon  piled  mats  and  curtains  near  the  doors  of 
the  rooms  on  both  sides  of  the  passage,  and  poured  oil  and 
spirit  over  them.  When  this  was  done  they  made  up  a  roll 
six  feet  high  and  six  feet  long,  and,  saturating  this  with  oil, 
carried  it  to  the  door.  They  then  set  a  light  to  the  great 
piles  of  inflammable  materials  in  the  two  rooms.  These 
flashed  up  instantly,  and  the  flames  came  rushing  through 
the  doors.  When  they  saw  that  the  blaze  had  taken  a  good 
hold  of  the  material  they  set  fire  to  the  bundle  in  the  passage. 

As  this  blazed  up  they  removed  the  bar  and  flung  the  door 
open.  The  two  sentries  gave  -a  loud  cry  as  they  saw  the 
flames  rushing  out  at  the  end  of  the  passage,  and  made  a 
simultaneous  rush  for  the  front  door.  Running  in,  Rex  and 
his  companion  found  that  the  door  of  the  girls'  prison  was 
held  by  bars  only.  These  they  undid,  and  found  to  their 
satisfaction  that  the  door  opened,  and  that  there  was  no 
occasion  to  break  it  down. 

The  light  of  the  flames  was  amply  sufficient  to  enable  them 
to  see.  The  two  girls  lay  in  each  other's  arms  in  one 
corner. 

"  It  is  all  right,  girls !  "  Rex  cried.  "  I  am  Rex,  and  I  have 
come  here  to  save  you !  " 

Then,  lifting  the  girls  to  their  feet,  they  wrapped  the 
blankets  round  them.  Each  lifted  one  and  sprang  through 
the  flames  rising  from  the  roll,  and  then  through  the  sheet 
of  fire  at  the  end  of  the  passage.  When  they  reached  the 
open  air  they  released  the  girls  from  the  wrappings,  and, 
snatching  up  their  rifles,  which  they  had  left  leaning  against 
the  wall  outside,  ran  down  the  garden.  Once  outside  they 
felt  that  they  were  for  the  present  safe. 

Already  a  babel  of  noises  was  arising  from  the  yamen — 
shrieks  of  women  and  shouts  of  men. 


REX   RESCUES   HIS   COUSINS   FROM   THE   BOXERS. 


A   RESCUE  63 

"  I  hope  the  women  won't  be  burned,"  Rex  said. 

"  If  they  cannot  get  down  the  staircase  they  can  jump 
from  the  windows,"  said  Ah  Lo. 

"  Thank  God,  girls,  that  we  have  got  you  out !  We  have 
some  native  clothes  for  you,  but  we  must  run  for  some  little 
distance  first;  the  fire  will  bring  all  the  town  out." 

"  Are  we  dreaming  ?  "  Jenny  said.  "  Can  it  be  really  you, 
Rex?" 

"  It  is,  dear ;  you  can  seize  me  and  shake  me,  to  make  sure 
that  you  are  awake.  Are  you  strong  enough  to  walk  ? " 

"  Yes,  if  I  am  really  awake." 

The  younger  sister,  however,  could  scarcely  stand,  and  Ah 
Lo  caught  her  up  and  they  at  once  started,  Jenny  pouring 
question  after  question  into  Rex's  ear  as  lie  hurried  her 
along.  When  they  were  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away 
they  broke  into  a  walk. 

"  Now  we  can  go  on  steadily,"  Rex  said.  "  We  are  abso 
lutely  safe  till  the  morning,  and  by  that  time  I  hope  we  shall 
be  a  good  many  miles  away." 

When  they  had  gone  another  mile  Rex  said :  "  We  had 
better  stop  here  and  eat  something,  for  we  shall  want  all  our 
strength  for  the  journey." 

"  But  how  did  you  come  to  be  here,  Rex  ? " 

"  Well,  dear,  we  heard  such  terrible  news  of  what  was 
going  on  throughout  the  country  that  Ah  Lo  and  I  deter 
mined  to  come  out  in  disguise  to  see  if  we  could  be  of  any 
assistance  to  you.  Of  course  we  have  heard  all  that  has 
happened,  so  do  not  pain  yourselves  by  talking  about  it  at 
present.  We  have  got  stain  for  you  to  colour  your  skin,  and 
the  dresses  of  Chinese  boys  in  which  you  must  disguise  your 
selves.  It  would  not  do  for  you  to  be  travelling  as  girls.  We 
shall  try  to  make  our  way  to  Pekin.  Of  course  we  shall  have 
difficulties,  but  I  trust  that  we  shall  get  through  all  right. 


64  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO*  PEKIN 

We  intend  to  give  out  that  we  are  going  to  enlist  in  the  army, 
and  we  shall  have  to  invent  some  story  to  account  for  your 
going  with  us.  We  have  got  rifles,  so  that  if  we  should  be 
interfered  with  by  any  small  party  we  shall  be  able  to  give 
a  good  account  of  them.  We  have  got  you  out  more  easily 
than  we  had  expected,  and  no  one  is  likely  to  notice  that  you 
have  escaped.  They  will  have  more  than  enough  to  do  if 
they  wish  to  save  the  house,  and  I  doubt  whether  they  will 
succeed  in  putting  out  the  fire,  for  I  think  we  set  the  place 
pretty  well  alight." 

Indeed,  it  was  already  evident  that  the  fire  had  got  a  great 
hold,  for,  from  the  point  that  they  had  now  gained,  the 
flames  could  be  seen  leaping  out  of  all  the  windows  on  the 
ground  floor  at  the  back  of  the  house.  The  fugitives  went 
almost  at  a  run  for  another  mile,  and  when  they  stopped  and 
looked  round,  the  yamen  was  in  a  blaze  from  top  to  bottom. 
Ah  Lo  now  set  Mabel  on  her  feet,  and  the  two  girls  threw 
themselves  into  each  other's  arms  and  burst  into  tears. 

"  Now  you  had  better  eat  something,"  Rex  said,  after  he 
allowed  them  a  short  time  to  recover  themselves.  "  Did  the 
brutes  feed  you  well  ?" 

"  We  had  enough  to  eat  till  to-day ;  they  have  given  us 
nothing  to-day,  and  we  thought  that  that  was  a  sign  that 
the  end  had  very  nearly  come." 

"  No  doubt  it  was  so.  Now  in  the  first  place  you  must  each 
eat  and  drink  something." 

"  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  wanted  anything." 

"  Never  mind,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  you  should 
eat.  We  must  get  as  far  away  as  we  can  before  morning, 
and  unless  you  eat  you  won't  be  able  to  walk." 

The  girls  ate  slowly  at  first,  but  as  their  appetites  came  back 
they  managed  to  eat  a  hearty  meal.  While  they  did  so  Rex 
told  them  about  the  fighting  at  Tientsin,  and  the  way  in 


A   EESCUE  65 

which  they  had  made  their  way  into  the  yamen  and  set  it  on 
fire." 

"  I  can  only  just  see  the  outline  of  your  figure,  Rex,"  Jenny 
said,  "  but  you  seem  to  have  grown  tremendously  since  I  saw 
you  last." 

"  Yes,  I  have  grown  a  good  deal.  Four  years  make  a  great 
difference  at  my  age.  You  have  grown  a  good  deal  too,  Jenny; 
you  were  quite  a  small  girl  when  I  saw  you  last.  How 
pleased  my  father  and  mother  will  be  to  see  you  both 
•again !  " 

"  Did  they  send  any  messages  ?  " 

"  No,  Jenny,  and  for  a  very  good  reason.  They  did  not 
know  that  we  were  coming.  We  stole  off  quietly  in  the  night, 
.for  I  was  not  at  all  sure  that  they  would  let  me  try  if  I  asked 
their  permission.  I  left  a  letter  for  them  saying  where  I  had 
gone,  and  that,  as  I  had  Ah  Lo  with  me,  I  felt  pretty  sure 
that  it  would  come  out  all  right.  You  see,  I  speak  Chinese 
nearly  as  well  as  he  does,  and  there  was  no  real  reason  why 
anyone  should  suspect  that  we  were  not  what  we  looked. 
Now,  dear,  if  you  have  finished  we  will  go  on." 

They  went  for  some  ten  miles  before  the  day  began  to 
break.  Ah  Lo  carried  Mabel  for  the  last  five,  for  both  girls- 
were  weakened  by  the  scenes  they  had  gone  through,  the 
grief  at  the  loss  of  their  parents,  and  the  fear  as  to  their  own 
fate.  As  day  approached  they  went  into  a  large  field  of 
standing  corn,  which  rose  some  feet  above  their  heads. 

"  Now,  girls,  you  go  on  a  few  yards  and  then  change  your 
clothes.  Here  is  the  stain.  You  must  dye  your  whole  skin 
and  darken  your  eyebrows,  eyelashes,  and  hair.  You  know 
a  great  deal  better  than  I  do  how  your  hair  must  be  plaited 
into  pigtails  and  wound  up  under  these  hats.  I  think  you 
will  find  the  clothes  all  right;  they  are  just  jackets  buttoning 
up  in  front,  and  loose  trousers.  You  can  put  on  your  own 


66  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    TEKIN 

boots  as  long  as  we  are  walking  in  an  open  country  and  there 
is  no  one  about,  but  when  we  are  likely  to  meet  anyone  you 
must  put  on  these  Chinese  shoes.  After  you  have  dressed 
yourselves  you  had  better  lie  down  and  have  a  long  sleep. 
We  shall  keep  a  look-out ;  but  as  we  entered  the  field  in  single 
file,  and  raised  the  stalks  after  us,  it  is  not  likely  that,  even 
if  the  owner  comes  along,  he  will  suspect  that  anyone  is  in 
hiding  here.  Before  you  try  to  go  off  to  sleep  you  had  better 
eat  another  meal." 

"  Are  we  on  our  way  to  Pekin,  Rex  ?  " 

"  No,  we  have  come  north  so  far;  for  if  a  search  is  made  it 
will  be  in  the  direction  of  Pekin  or  Tientsin.  I  do  not  think 
it  at  all  likely,  however,  that  they  will  trouble  to  look  for  us. 
They  will  not  give  you  a  thought  at  first;  and  when  they  do 
think  of  you  the  place  will  be  in  such  a  blaze  that  they  won't 
be  able  to  get  at  your  room,  and  will  certainly  conclude  that 
you  have  perished  in  the  flames.  The  only  possible  ground 
for  suspicion  will  be  that  the  door  at  the  end  of  the  garden 
may  be  found  open;  but  no  one  may  think  of  going  round 
there  for  some  days,  and  at  the  worst  they  will  but  fancy  that 
robbers  broke  in  there,  and,  while  plundering  the  rooms,  acci 
dentally  set  the  house  on  fire.  At  any  rate,  long  before  the 
idea  can  occur  to  them  that  it  was  an  attempt  to  rescue  you, 
we  shall  be  a  hundred  miles  away." 

The  day  passed  quietly.  Ah  Lo  and  Rex  in  turn  slept  and 
watched  near  the  edge  of  the  corn.  Men  could  be  seen 
working  in  some  of  the  fields,  but  no  one  approached  the  edge 
of  the  field  in  which  they  were  hidden.  Late  in  the  after 
noon  the  girls  joined  them,  looking  their  character  so  well 
that  even  Ah  Lo  said  that  he  would  not  have  suspected  them 
of  being  anything  but  what  they  seemed.  A  hearty  meal  was 
then  eaten,  and  an  hour  after  dark  they  started  again,  this 
time  making  towards  the  east.  They  passed  through  many 


A   RESCUE  67 

small  villages  during  the  night,  and  walked,  they  calculated, 
over  twenty  miles,  Ah  Lo,  as  before,  carrying  Mabel  the  last 
seven  or  eight  miles.  Again  they  hid  during  the  day,  and  in 
the  evening  turned  their  faces  towards  Pekin.  Their  stock 
of  provisions  was  now  exhausted,  and  the  next  day  Ah  Lo 
went  into  a  village  and  brought  a  fresh  supply. 

They  met  with  no  adventure  until  tfiey  were  half-way  on 
their  journey,  when  one  evening  as  they  were  passing  through 
a  village,  the  door  of  one  of  the  houses  opened  and  three 
men  whose  dress  showed  them  to  be  Boxers  came  out. 

"  Hello !  "  one  of  them  said,  "  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  We  the  travellers,"  Ah  Lo  replied. 

"  What  makes  you  travel  so  late  ?  " 

"  We  are  anxious  to  push  on  to  the  next  village." 

"  Come  in  here  and  let  us  have  a  look  at  you,"  one  of 
them  said. 

"  Shall  we  go  in,  master  ? "  Ah  Lo  said  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes,  you  had  better ;  there  is  a  large  party  of  them.  You 
go  on,  girls;  stop  by  the  side  of  the  last  house  in  the  village 
on  the  right-hand  side." 

Kex  and  Lo  then  followed  the  men  into  the  house. 
Inside  were  nine  others,  several  of  them  smoking.  "  Now 
where  are  you  going  to  ? "  demanded  the  Boxer  who  had 
before  spoken,  and  who  was  apparently  the  leader  of  the 
party. 

"  We  are  going  to  enlist  in  the  army." 

"You  had  better  join  us.  I  see  you  have  a  good  gun; 
where  did  you  get  it  from  ?  " 

"  I  got  it  from  some  men  who  were  fighting  at  Tientsin 
and  returned  home  wounded." 

"  Well,  you  will  get  others  there,"  the  man  said ;  "  you  had 
better  hand  them  over  to  us.  You  must  stop  here  for  he 
night  and  go  on  with  us.  It  appears  to  me  that  there  is 


G8  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

something  suspicious  about  you.  Where  are  the  two  boys 
who  were  with  you  ?  " 

"  They  have  gone  on.  I  told  them  to." 

"  Two  of  you  run  after  them  and  fetch  them  back,"  the 
man  said  angrily. 

Ah  Lo  and  Rex  both  unslung  their  guns  from  their 
shoulders  as  if  to  hand  them  over.  They  were  still  standing 
in  the  doorway,  and  Ah  Lo  shoved  one  of  the  Boxers,  who 
tried  to  pass  him,  and  sent  him  staggering  backwards.  The 
captain,  with  an  exclamation  of  fury,  drew  his  sword.  Ah 
Lo  dropped  his  rifle  against  the  man's  chest  and  fired.  The 
others  at  once  sprang  to  their  feet. 

"  Don't  throw  away  a  shot !  "  Rex  exclaimed.  "  Now  it  is 
begun  we  must  finish  them,"  and  he  shot  down  the  man 
next  him.  "  Step  back  outside  the  door,  then  only  one  can 
get  at  us  at  a  time." 

The  rifles  rang  out  again,  and  three  more  of  the  Boxers 
fell.  The  others,  seizing  their  arms,  rushed  in  a  mass  to 
wards  them. 

"  Fire  by  turns,  Ah  Lo,"  Rex  said  as  he  fired,  and  then 
drove  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  with  all  his  force  into  the 
chest  of  the  next  man  coming  at  him;  the  man  fell  as  in 
stantaneously  as  though  he  had  been  shot.  Two  or  three  of 
the  Boxers  were  armed  with  guns,  and  these  attempted  to 
press  forward  so  as  to  be  able  to  use  them.  Rex's  thrust  had 
cleared  the  crowd  a  little  back,  and  Ah  Lo  shot  one  of  the 
men  with  a  gun  as  he  pressed  forward.  Almost  at  the  same 
moment  one  of  the  others  fired,  and  the  ball  passed  along 
Rex's  arm  and  came  out  in  the  shoulder.  With  a  howl  the 
man  rushed  forward  again.  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  fired  at  tho  same 
moment.  There  were  now  but  four  Boxers  left,  and  these 
charged  before  they  were  ready  to  fire  again.  Ah  Lo  clubbed 
his  musket ;  Rex,  as  before,  used  his  gun  as  a  spear,  and  as  a 


A   RESCUE  69 

Boxer  rushed  at  him  with  uplifted  sword,  caught  him  full  in 
the  chest. 

"  Hold  the  door  while  I  load,  Ah  Lo,"  he  said. 

It  took  but  a  couple  of  seconds  to  discharge  the  cartridge 
and  reload  and  close  the  breech,  and  then  Rex  shot  one 
assailant  just  when  Ah  Lo  struck  down  another.  The  last 
man  threw  down  his  weapon,  but  Ah  Lo's  blood  was  up,  and 
knowing  that  none  of  the  party  must  be  allowed  to  get  away, 
he  brought  the  butt  of  his  musket  down  with  all  his 
strength  upon  the  man's  head. 

"  That  has  been  sharp  work,  Ah  Lo,"  Rex  panted.  "  Now, 
we  must  be  off." 

"  I  don't  think  they  are  all  killed,"  Ah  Lo  said. 

"  Well,  most  of  them  must  be,  and  certainly  none  of  the 
others  can  be  in  a  position  to  take  up  the  pursuit.  We  had 
better  not  wait  another  moment,  or  we  shall  have  the  villagers 
out  on  us."  So  saying  he  started  to  run. 

"  I  will  run,"  Ah  Lo  said,  "  but  there  is  no  fear  that  the 
villagers  will  come  out.  When  they  hear  the  firing  they  will 
think  that  the  Boxers  are  quarrelling  among  themselves, 
and  certainly  no  one  will  venture  out  to  see  about  it." 

They  found  the  girls  waiting  at  the  appointed  place,  and 
they  gave  a  cry  of  joy  as  Rex  ran  up. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  they  asked  together. 

"  The  Boxers  were  nasty  and  were  sending  two  men  off  to 
catch  you,  so  we  stopped  them,  and  we  had  a  tough  fight,  but 
none  of  them  got  away." 

"  How  many  were  there  ? " 

"  Twelve." 

"  And  you  killed  them  all?" 

"  We  shot  eight  of  them.  Ah  Lo  broke  the  skulls  of  two, 
and  I  knocked  the  wind  out  of  the  other  two.  Whether  I 
killed  them  or  not  I  do  not  know,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that 


70  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

they  cannot  be  in  a  fit  condition  to  take  up  the  pursuit.  We 
can  now  go  on  again;  only  for  the  rest  of  the  journey  we 
must  avoid  villages. 

(t  You  needn't  grieve  for  the  Boxers,"  he  said,  as  the  girls 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror  at  what  he  had  said.  "  As 
likely  as  not  they  have  come  from  Chafui;  but  if  not,  no 
doubt  they  have  taken  part  in  some  of  these  massacres  and 
were  making  for  Tientsin  to  join  their  fellows  there." 

"  Oh,  how  could  you  do  it,  Hex  ?  I  am  not  sorry  for  the 
Boxers  a  bit,  but  it  is  wonderful  that  you  two  should  have 
killed  twelve  of  them  in  two  minutes;  I  am  sure  the  firing 
did  not  last  longer  than  that." 

"  It  was  quick  work  certainly,  Jenny ;  but  with  these 
breech-loaders  one  can  fire  all  the  shots  in  a  magazine  in  less 
than  a  minute,  and  at  such  close  quarters  there  was  no  possi 
bility  of  missing  one's  aim.  If  there  had  been  a  few  more  of 
them  we  should  probably  not  have  succeeded  so  well,  for  our 
magazines  were  nearly  empty  when  we  had  finished.  Still, 
holding  the  door  as  we  did,  so  that  only  one  man  could  really 
get  at  us  at  once,  I  think  we  should  have  given  a  good  account 
of  ourselves  even  if  there  had  been  five  or  six  more." 

They  made  an  unusually  long  journey  that  night;  the 
girls  would  not  hear  of  stopping,  although  Rex  assured  them 
that  there  was  no  chance  of  being  overtaken.  When  day 
dawned  they  were  more  than  usually  careful  in  hiding  them 
selves  among  some  very  high  grass.  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  took 
turns  to  watch  all  day,  but  to  their  satisfaction  they  saw  no 
one  hurrying  along  the  road  as  if  carrying  a  message  of  im 
portance. 

"  I  did  not  expect  to  see  one,  "  Ah  Lo  said ;  "  the  villagers 
will  be  frightened  out  of  their  lives  when  they  venture  out  in 
the  morning  and  see  what  has  happened.  I  think  it  likely 
that  they  will  at  once  bury  all  the  bodies,  for  they  will  be 


A    RESCUE  71 

afraid  that  should  a  party  of  Boxers  come  along  and  see 
what  has  taken  place,  they  would  plunder  and  burn  the 
village  and  kill  all  the  inhabitants.  No,  I  do  not  think  there 
is  any  fear  that  the  alarm  will  be  given." 

They  continued  their  journey  thus  till  they  were  within 
fifteen  miles  of  Pekin.  Here  the  road  was  no  longer  unfre 
quented  during  the  day.  bands  of  armed  men  and  Boxers 
frequently  passing  along.  The  next  day  they  made  ten  miles 
and  then  lay  down  to  sleep.  Soon  after  daybreak  natives  in 
carts,  with  vegetables  and  grain,  came  along.  As  soon  as 
they  had  passed,  the  fugitives  issued  out,  and  presently  over 
taking  one  of  the  parties  journeyed  on  in  company  with 
them  until  they  reached  the  gates  of  the  city.  They  wan 
dered  about  for  some  hours  before  they  found  the  quarter 
where  the  Legations  were  situated,  for  they  did  not  like 
to  ask  directions,  as  that  would  have  shown  that  they  were 
strangers  in  the  city.  They  came  at  last  to  a  building  where 
two  marines  were  keeping  guard.  From  these  they  heard 
that  the  British  Legation  was  in  the  next  street,  and  soon 
they  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  an  English  uniform. 

They  were  stopped  by  the  sentries,  but  on  Rex  saying  in 
English  that  they  were  fugitives  from  one  of  the  missions 
that  had  been  destroyed  they  were  allowed  to  enter. 

The  Legation  stood  in  a  very  large  enclosure  which  had  at 
one  time  been  a  palace  belonging  to  a  member  of  the  im 
perial  family.  The  gardens  were  charmingly  laid  out,  and  it 
contained  several  courtyards,  each  surrounded  by»buildings. 

They  were  conducted  by  one  of  the  servants  of  the  Lega 
tion  to  the  house  of  the  minister,  Sir  Claude  Macdonald, 
and  upon  Rex  sending  in  their  names  they  were  at  once 
admitted. 

"  We  have  made  our  escape,  sir,"  Rex  said,  "  from  Chafui, 
where  the  mission  has  been  destroyed  and  all  save  these  two 


72  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

young  ladies,  daughters  of  the  missionary  in  charge,  mur 
dered.  I  myself  am  the  son  of  Mr.  Bateman  of  Tientsin. 
These  young  ladies  are  my  cousins,  and  with  the  aid  of  this 
faithful  Chinaman,  who  has  for  many  years  been  in  my 
father's  service,  I  have  succeeded  in  rescuing  them  from  the 
hands  of  the  Boxers." 

"I  congratulate  you  indeed,  sir.  A  considerable  number 
of  fugitives  have  already  arrived  here.  I  will  hand  the 
ladies  over  at  once  into  the  charge  of  Lady  Macdonald,  who 
will  see  that  they  are  well  cared  for." 

He  rang  a  bell  and  told  a  servant  to  take  the  girls  to  Lady 
Macdonald,  and  then  turned  again  to  Rex : 

"We  had  heard  reports  of  the  massacre  at  Chafui,  and 
were  afraid  that  all  had  perished.  I  shall  be  glad  to  know 
how  you  and  these  young  ladies  escaped  ? " 

Rex  gave  a  brief  account  of  the  incident. 

"  I  congratulate  you  most  warmly  on  the  success  of  your 
enterprise,  and  on  the  courage  you  displayed  in  undertaking 
it  and  carrying  it  out.  It  certainly  seemed,  on  the  face  of 
it,  to  be  a  most  mad-brained  attempt,  but  it  has  been  amply 
justified  by  the  success  that  has  attended  it. 

"  Our  position  here  is  very  precarious,  and  although  the 
court  continue  to  give  us  assurances  of  the  most  friendly 
intentions,  we  have  the  best  grounds  for  believing  that  the 
Empress  and  her  advisers  are  bent  upon  our  destruction. 
However,  we  are  making  every  preparation  for  defence,  and 
believe  that  we  shall  be  able  to  hold  out  until  assistance 
arrives.  What  are  your  own  intentions  ?  " 

"  My  intentions,  sir,  are  to  make  my  way  at  once  down  to 
Tientsin.  My  parents  cannot  but  feel  the  most  lively 
anxiety  as  to  my  safety,  and  my  first  duty  is  to  go  back  to 
relieve  their  suspense.  If  any  expedition  is  sent  up  here  to 
your  relief,  I  shall  hope  to  accompany  it  in  some  capacity. 


A    RESCUE  73 

I  can  speak  Chinese  like  a  native,  and  may  be  useful  as  an  in 
terpreter.  I  shall,  of  course,  leave  my  cousins  here  if  you  will 
kindly  permit  them  to  stay,  for  although  with  my  Chinese 
follower  I  might  make  my  way  without  difficulty  through  any 
bodies  of  the  Chinese  who  may  be  on  the  road,  I  could  hardly 
do  so  if  I  were  accompanied  by  two  girls,  however  well  they 
might  be  disguised." 

"  Certainly  not,"  the  envoy  said ;  "  that  would  be  quite 
impossible.  There  are,  we  know,  a  considerable  number  of 
the  Chinese  between  us  and  Tientsin.  They  have  already 
torn  up  the  railway,  and  although  my  messengers  do  get 
through,  direct  communications  are  entirely  interrupted. 
Still,  as  you  have  made  the  journey  from  Chafui  here 
without  difficulty,  I  should  think  that  you  might  manage  to 
accomplish  the  journey  to  Tientsin  safely.  Of  course  you  will 
remain  here  a  day  or  two.  One  of  the  members  of  my  staff 
will  lend  you  a  suit  of  clothes."  He  touched  the  bell. 
"  Send  Mr.  Sandwich  here.  He  is  one  of  the  student  inter 
preters,"  he  said,  turning  again  to  Rex,  "  and  is  about  your 
own  height;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  things  will  fit  you 
well.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  dine  with  me  and  afterwards 
give  me  more  detailed  accounts  of  your  adventures." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  young  man  made  his  appearance. 
"  Mr.  Sandwich,"  Sir  Claude  said,  "  I  will  hand  over  this 
gentleman,  who  has  just  arrived  from  Chafui,  to  your  charge. 
He  will  only  be  staying  here  for  a  day  or  two,  for  he  is 
going  to  try  to  make  his  way  down  to  Tientsin.  I  shall  be 
obliged  if  you  will  lend  him  a  suit  of  clothes  while  he  stays 
here." 

"  Certainly,  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  make  him  comfortable." 

"  I  should  be  obliged,  sir,"  Rex  said,  "  if  you  yould  allow 
a  surgeon  to  dress  my  arm.  A  bullet  entered  just  above  the 
wrist  and  ran  up  to  my  shoulder.  I  think  the  wound  is 


74  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

going  on  all  right,  but  it  is  rather  painful,  and  I  should  be 
glad  to  have  it  dressed  properly." 

"Certainly,  I  will  send  our  doctor  to  the  college  at  once. 
He  will  be  there  almost  as  soon  as  you.  You  did  not  tell  me 
that  you  had  been  hit." 

"It  is  not  a  serious  wound,  sir;  the  bullet  only  just  went 
under  the  skin,  and  I  fancy  that  when  it  has  once  been 
properly  dressed  it  will  give  me  no  more  trouble." 

"  You  are  well  disguised,"  Sandwich  said  as  he  left  the 
room  with  Eex.  "  I  am  sure  that  I  should  not  have  had 
any  suspicions,  however  closely  I  inspected  you.  How  did 
you  manage  to  get  here  from  Chafui  ? " 

"  I  speak  Chinese  like  a  native.  I  was  born  in  Tientsin, 
and  was  sent  home  to  England  four  years  ago;  but  as  my 
father  was  most  anxious  that  I  should  keep  up  Chinese,  he 
sent  with  me  one  of  the  coolies  who  had  always  been  my 
special  servant,  and  so  I  came  back  speaking  it  as  well  as 
when  I  went." 

"  We  heard  that  there  had  been  a  massacre  at  Chafui." 

"Yes,  I  managed,  with  the  aid  of  my  man,  to  rescue  my 
two  cousins,  who  are  the  daughters  of  the  missionary  there. 
I  was  just  in  time,  for  they  were  to  have  been  murdered  on 
the  following  day." 

"  But  how  was  it  that  you  were  not  murdered  yourself  ?  n 

"  For  the  simple  reason  that  I  was  not  there  when  the 
massacre  took  place.  The  news  of  the  massacre  came  to  us 
at  Tientsin,  and  I  set  off  with  my  man  to  see  if  any  of  them 
had  survived  and  if  possible  to  rescue  them.  This  we 
effected  by  setting  fire  to  the  governor's  yamen,  where  the 
girls  were  confined,  and  carrying  them  off  in  the  confusion 
that  ensued.  The  only  adventure  we  met  with  on  the  road 
was  that  we  were  interfered  with  by  a  party  of  a  dozen 
Boxers.  We  had  a  fight  with  them;  but  as  we  had  breech- 


A   RESCUE  75 

loaders,  and  they  were  jammed  up  in  a  room,  we  had  no 
difficulty  in  disposing  of  them  all." 

"  By  Jove,  that  was  a  plucky  thing,"  Sandwich  said;  "  and 
so  you  are  going  off  again  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  am  in  a  hurry  to  get  back  to  my  people,  who  must 
be  in  great  anxiety  about  me." 

"  Well,  this  is  our  college,"  the  young  man  said,  stopping 
before  a  building  of  some  size.  "  We  are  all  trained  here  for 
the  Chinese  Consulate  service.  I  will  take  you  to  my  room 
first  and  rig  you  out.  We  shall  be  having  a  meal  directly, 
and  then  I  can  introduce  you  to  the  fellows,  when  I  promise 
you  a  hearty  reception." 

Half  an  hour  later  Rex  went  down  in  a  suit  of  white 
clothes  to  the  dining-room.  He  had  already  asked  Sandwich 
to  hand  over  Ah  Lo  to  the  proper  quarter,  where  he  could 
get  rations  and  lodging.  He  was  introduced  to  eight  or  ten 
young  men  who  were  studying  at  the  college,  and,  after  the 
meal  was  over,  related  the  story  of  the  rescue  of  his  cousins. 
The  narrative  excited  great  interest,  and  he  was  warmly 
praised. 


CHAPTER  V 

WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN 

fTlHAT  evening  after  dinner  Rex  told  the  envoy  in  full 
-*•  the  story  of  his  adventures.  The  chiefs  of  two  or  three 
other  Legations  were  present,  and  all  expressed  great  surprise 
that  a  mere  lad  should  have  carried  out  so  desperate  an 
undertaking. 

The  next  morning  the  doctor  called  to  see  Rex. 

"  You  are  thinking  of  going  down  at  once,  are  you  not  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  have  come  in  to  tell  you  that  your  cousins  cannot 
possibly  go  with  you.  Their  recent  experiences  have  been  a 
terrible  strain  on  them,  and  as  a  result  of  the  reaction,  both 
are  completely  prostrated.  The  younger  one  is  very  feverish, 
and  is,  I  expect,  in  for  a  sharp  illness." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  that,  sir,  though  I  cannot  say 
that  I  am  surprised.  They  have  held  on  very  well,  but  they 
were  weak  when  they  started,  and  throughout  the  journey 
they  have  had  no  chance  of  picking  up  strength.  I  was 
afraid  that  they  would  break  down  before  they  got  here.  At 
any  rate  I  shall  run  down  to  Tientsin  to  see  my  father  and 
mother,  who  are  no  doubt  suffering  great  anxiety,  and  shall 
then,  I  hope,  be  able  to  arrange  to  come  back  for  them.  I 
suppose  I  can  see  them  before  I  start  ? " 

"  Certainly,  but  the  shorter  your  visit  the  better.  You 
may  be  quite  sure  that  they  will  have  every  attention  here. 

76 


WITH  SEYMOUE'S  COLUMN  77 

I  don't  think  there  is  any  reason  for  being  uneasy  about 
them.  It  is  the  natural  reaction  after  the  strain,  and  I  hope 
that  in  another  fortnight  or  so  they  will  be  able  to  travel. 
I  will  go  across  with  you  to  their  room  now." 

Rex  at  once  went  over. 

"  I  have  come  to  say  good-bye,  Jenny,"  he  said,  as  he 
entered  the  shaded  room  in  which  his  cousins  were  lying. 
"  The  doctor  says  that  you  won't  be  fit  to  travel  for  another 
fortnight,  and  you  know  I  must  run  down  to  see  my  father 
and  mother,  who  will  by  this  time  be  in  a  great  state  of 
alarm  about  you.  I  shall  be  back  for  you,  and  I  hope  if  I 
come  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  I  shall  find  you  both  in  a  fit 
state  to  go.  If  you  are  not,  I  shall  wait  till  you  are.  Good 
bye,  dear !  " 

"Good-bye,  Rex!  Of  course  you  ought  to  go  to  Tientsin, 
and  we  shall  look  forward  to  your  return.  Thank  you  a 
thousand  times  for  all  that  you  have  done  for  us,  and  thank 
Ah  Lo  too!" 

Mabel  was  lying  with  her  eyes  half-closed  and  her  cheeks 
flushed  with  fever,  and  Rex,  seeing  that  it  was  of  no  use 
trying  to  rouse  her  to  say  good-bye,  kissed  Jenny  and  went 
quietly  out  of  the  room. 

"  I  shall  keep  your  clothes  until  I  come  back  again,  Sand 
wich,"  Rex  said  when  he  was  taking  leave  of  his  friend. 

"You  are  perfectly  welcome  to  them  if  you  don't  bring 
them  back,"  the  other  laughed.  "  I  have  any  number  of 
suits,  and  if  trouble  comes  on  we  shall  not  be  particular 
about  washing." 

"  I  expect  I  shall  be  back  before  long,  for  if  there  is  a  row 
here  I  should  like  to  be  in  it." 

Rex  and  Ah  Lo  went  to  the  railway-station  in  time  for 
the  train  which  started  at  ten  o'clock.  Several  merchants 
and  others  were  going  down  also.  The  j©urney  was  a  tedious 


78  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

one,  for  the  train  travelled  slowly  and  stopped  frequently. 
It  was  just  breakfast-time  next  morning  when  they  arrived. 
Rex  walked  in  unannounced  just  as  his  father  and  mother 
were  sitting  down  to  breakfast.  They  leapt  to  their  feet  with 
cries  of  surprise  and  delight. 

"  I  cannot  blow  you  up  now,  Rex,"  his  father  said  after  the 
first  joy  of  the  meeting  had  passed,  "  but  it  was  the  maddest 
thing  that  I  ever  heard  of.  I  am  too  glad,  however,  at  your 
safe  return  to  scold  you.  We  were  beginning  to  lose  all  hope 
of  your  return.  We  thought  you  might  get  to  Chafui,  and 
of  course  it  was  a  great  satisfaction  that  you  had  Ah  Lo  with 
you ;  but  when  you  found  that  everyone  had  been  massacred, 
what  prevented  you  from  returning  at  once?" 

"  The  fact,  Father,  that  I  found  that  they  were  not  all 
massacred.  My  uncle  and  aunt  had  both  fallen,  but  the  girls 
were  prisoners  in  the  governor's  yamen.  It  was  a  close  affair, 
for  they  were  to  have  been  given  to  the  Boxers  to  be  mas 
sacred  the  very  next  day.  We  got  them  out,  however,  and 
took  them  safely  to  Pekin,  and  they  are  at  present  staying  at 
the  Legation." 

"  You  have  saved  the  dear  girls ! "  his  mother  exclaimed ; 
"  that  is  indeed  good  news.  But  where  are  they  ? " 

"  They  are  at  Pekin,  Mother.  They  bore  up  splendidly 
until  they  got  there,  and  then  they  broke  down,  and  the 
doctor  said  that  they  would  need  careful  treatment  and  rest 
before  they  oould  be  moved.  So  I  ran  down  here  to  tell  you 
of  my  safety,  and  am  going  back  again  in  a  few  days  to  bring 
them  home.  I  will  give  you  full  particulars  when  I  have  got 
into  my  own  clothes  and  had  some  breakfast.  We  brought 
a  good  stock  of  provisions  with  us,  but  finished  the  last 
morsel  yesterday  afternoon.  It  has  been  a  tremendously 
long  journey,  and,  as  you  may  imagine,  I  am  pretty  peckish. 
Before  sitting  down,  however,  I  will  run  upstairs  and  change, 


WITH    SEYMOURS    COLUMN"  79 

for  I  must  have  a  wash  before  eating.  I  shall  be  down 
again  in  ten  minutes." 

He  soon  returned,  and  his  father  and  mother  asked  no 
questions  until  he  had  finished  breakfast,  except  that  his 
mother  asked  how  he  had  left  the  girls. 

"  I  think  they  will  both  be  better  for  a  rest,  Mother,"  he 
said.  "They  both  look  fagged,  which  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  considering  all  they  have  come  through,  but  they  are  a 
good  deal  better  than  when  I  first  saw  them." 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  and  before  he  questioned 
Rex  further,  Mr.  Bateman  sent  for  Ah  Lo. 

"  Ah  Lo,"  he  said,  when  the  Chinaman  came  in,  "  you  did 
wrong  to  aid  my  son  to  carry  out  this  enterprise.  However, 
as  it  succeeded  so  well  I  cannot  blame  you,  and  indeed  must 
thank  you  heartily  for  having  carried  Rex  safely  through 
the  matter." 

The  Chinaman  smiled.  "  I  think  it  is  the  other  way.  Mr. 
Rex  carried  me  through  the  affair.  He  always  told  me  what 
to  do;  I  did  just  so  and  it  came  out  all  right." 

"  Well,  I  shall  not  forget  the  great  service  you  have  ren 
dered  us."  Ah  Lo  bowed  and  went  off. 

"  Now  then,  Rex,  give  us  an  account  of  your  doings,  for  at 
present  I  cannot  imagine  how  you  managed  to  get  the  girls 
out  from  the  governor's  yamen." 

It  took  Rex  more  than  an  hour  to  relate  his  adventures, 
for  he  was  very  frequently  interrupted  by  exclamations  and 
questions  from  his  father  and  mother. 

"  It  was  a  wonderful  rescue,"  his  father  said,  when  he  had 
brought  that  part  of  the  story  to  a  close.  "  It  seems  simple 
enough  as  you  tell  it,  but  I  really  can  hardly  imagine  how 
the  plan  occurred  to  you.  There  the  girls  were  shut  up  in 
the  strong  house  of  a  governor,  with  sentries  over  them  and 
a  guard  but  a  few  yards  away.  It  was  a  problem  that  might 


80  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

have  puzzled  the  sharpest  brain,  and  it  was  carried  out  with 
out  the  slightest  hitch.  It  does  you  extreme  credit,  Rex, 
and  I  feel  proud  of  you.  Well,  go  on  with  your  story." 

There  was  a  fresh  outburst  of  surprise  when  Rex  related 
the  fight  with  the  twelve  Boxers. 

"  Well,  my  boy,"  Mr.  Bateman  said  when  Rex  brought  his 
story  to  an  end,  "  after  that  you  can  be  trusted  to  go  any 
where,  and  I  don't  think  your  mother  or  I  will  in  future  feel 
anything  like  the  same  anxiety  concerning  you  as  we  have 
experienced  this  time." 

"  And  now,  Father,  how  do  matters  stand  here  at  present  ?  " 

"  Things  are  quiet.  A  good  many  sailors  have  come  up, 
and  although  a  large  number  of  the  rebels  are  still  round  the 
town,  we  have  no  fear  whatever  that  they  will  be  able  to  take 
the  place." 

"  I  think  the  fighting  will  be  pretty  hard  work,  Father, 
if,  as  I  think  there  is  little  doubt,  the  Boxers  attack  in 
earnest.  But  what  are  the  regular  Chinese  troops  going 
to  do?" 

"  I  think  the  envoys  still  hope  that  they  will  stand  aloof ; 
but  as  far  as  I  have  learned,  the  general  opinion  is  just  the 
other  way.  The  Empress  and  her  ministers  profess  that  the 
Boxers  are  a  peaceable  people  who  only  desire  well  for  the 
empire.  They  have  issued  a  few  shilly-shallying  edicts, 
which  can  be  read  both  ways,  but  it  is  generally  believed  that 
the  Boxers  have  been  put  in  the  foreground  because  the 
Empress  thinks  they  are  more  than  sufficiently  strong  to 
destroy  the  Legations  and  kill  every  white  and  native  Chris 
tian  in  the  country.  She  doesn't  want  the  responsibility. 
Before  Europeans  she  can,  if  she  chooses,  disavow  their 
actions,  while  at  the  same  time  professing  her  inability  to 
control  them,  and  declaring  that  as  the  will  of  the  people  is 
that  no  white  men  shall  henceforth  live  or  trade  in  China 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  81 

she  must  bow  to  their  wishes.  Many  think,  therefore,  that 
if  the  Boxers  can  do  the  work  alone  they  will  be  allowed  to 
do  it;  if  not,  the  Imperial  troops  will  join  them. 

"  It  is  quite  certain  that  an  enormous  number  of  native 
Christians  have  been  massacred  in  various  parts  of  China, 
and  I  have  heard  that  some  have  been  murdered  in  Pekin 
itself.  I  hope  that  enough  troops  will  be  collected  to  go  up 
before  long.  Troops  have  come  in  from  all  directions,  but  I 
am  afraid  it  will  be  at  least  a  couple  of  months  before 
anything  like  an  army  can  be  moved  forward.  From  the 
ships  now  here  probably  only  two  thousand  men  could  be 
spared  for  the  purpose." 

"  I  doubt  whether  that  would  be  enough,  Father.  There 
are  hordes  of  Chinese  between  this  and  Pekin,  and  a  large 
number  of  them  are  armed  with  the  best  rifles.  They  have 
breech-loaders  of  all  sorts,  and  you  know  we  must  do  them 
the  justice  to  say  that  they  fought  bravely  enough  round 
here.  I  fancy  they  will  fight  even  better  to  prevent  us  from 
getting  to  Pekin." 

"  It  is  by  no  means  certain,  Rex,  that  in  the  first  place  we 
shall  not  have  to  fight  011  for  our  own  existence.  Great 
numbers  of  Boxers  and  other  ruffians  throng  the  town,  and  if 
they  know  their  own  business  they  will  not  be  fools  enough 
to  allow  an  army  to  gather  here  at  all.  As  to  the  Taku 
Forts,  I  believe  they  will  be  taken  just  as  easily  as  they 
were  last  time.  Still,  the  larger  vessels  cannot  come  up  the 
river,  and  the  smaller  ones  will  probably  have  to  be  escorted 
up  by  troops.  They  will  doubtless  be  opposed  fiercely,  and 
not  improbably  we  shall  be  attacked  here  at  the  same  time, 
in  which  case  we  may  have  to  fight  hard." 

"  All  right,  Father !  I  should  like  it  all  the  better.  Know 
ing,  as  we  do,  how  they  have  massacred  hundreds  of  mis 
sionaries  and  their  families  and  many  thousands  of  native 


82  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

Christians,  we  shall  feel  a  real  satisfaction  in  fighting  these 
fiends." 

"  And  yet,  Rex,  a  good  deal  of  allowance  must  be  made 
for  them.  You  must  remember  that  China  has  always  been 
an  exclusive  country,  and  that  the  Chinese  appear  to  have 
an  ingrained  hatred  of  foreigners.  To  begin  with,  we  come 
here  because  they  don't  want  to  buy  our  opium,  and  we  fight 
them  and  compel  them  to  open  Chinese  ports  to  trade.  Well, 
the  Chinese  are  not  fools,  and  as  long  as  it  was  only  a  ques 
tion  of  trade  they  might  put  up  with  us,  seeing  that  they 
obtained  as  much  advantage  from  trade  as  we  do.  This, 
however,  was  not  enough.  We  invade  them  with  a  vast 
crowd  of  missionaries,  who  settle  themselves  in  all  parts  of 
the  country,  build  themselves  houses  and  churches,  and  set 
to  work  to  convert  the  Chinese.  Naturally  the  Chinese  don't 
like  it.  Certainly  we  should  not  like  it  ourselves  if  hundreds 
of  Chinamen  were  to  settle  down  in  all  our  towns,  open  joss- 
houses,  hold  out  all  sorts  of  advantages  to  proselytes,  and 
convert  the  lowest  and  most  ignorant  class  of  the  population 
to  Confucianism  or  Buddhism.  But  this  is  not  all.  Mission 
aries  take  the  converts  under  their  protection,  set  up  a  little 
imperium,  demand  the  right  to  judge  and  punish  their  own 
people,  and  generally  to  set  the  local  authorities  pretty  well 
at  defiance;  and  the  Catholic  bishops  have  actually  insisted 
upon  having  the  title,  rank,  and  power  of  Chinese  viceroys. 

"  All  these  things  are  odious  to  the  mass  of  the  people,  and 
when,  as  at  present,  they  find  the  whole  of  the  European 
powers  engaged  in  a  general  grab  of  fresh  ports,  they  say 
this  thing  must  stop.  I  need  not  say  that  I  hold  these  mas 
sacres  in  abhorrence,  but  if  they  had  simply  brought  down 
all  the  missionaries  to  the  treaty  ports  and  said  to  them,  l  If 
you  come  outside  these  walls  you  will  be  at  once  put  to 
death,'  I  should  say  that  they  were  acting  just  as  most 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  83 

European  powers  would  act  in  similar  circumstances,  and 
that  from  their  own  point  of  view  they  were  acting  wisely. 
It  would  be  necessary,  of  course,  for  us  to  retain  ambassa 
dors  at  Pekin  to  protect  our  treaty  rights  and  to  settle  any 
disputes  that  might  arise,  but  beyond  that  I  would,  if  I 
were  the  Emperor  of  China,  forbid  any  foreigner  from  going 
beyond  the  treaty  ports,  which  would  be  all  so  strongly 
fortified  that  they  could  defy  any  attack.  Of  course,  for 
eigners  might  be  allowed  to  enter  the  Chinese  service  if 
invited  to  do  so,  drill  their  troops,  manage  their  dockyards, 
build  their  railways,  and  conduct  their  mines. 

"  To  my  mind,  the  game  of  grab  that  has  been  going  on 
of  late  has  been  shocking.  The  Kussians  who  stepped  in  to 
prevent  the  Japanese  from  obtaining  any  benefit  from  their 
defeat  of  China  were  the  first  to  begin  by  their  enormous 
appropriation  of  territory.  We  seized  a  port  opposite  to 
them,  and  the  Germans,  Italians,  and  French  all  seized  ports 
and  territories.  Can  one  wonder  that  China  was  moved  to 
the  core,  that  this  sect  of  Boxers,  which  has  existed  for  a 
very  long  time,  suddenly  became  a  violent  political  associ 
ation,  and  that  the  Empress  has  gladly  availed  herself  of 
their  assistance  ?  It  would  be  tstrange  indeed  if  it  were  not 
so.  You  must  remember  that  the  Chinese  as  a  race  are 
extremely  intelligent.  Owing  to  the  denseness  of  the  popu 
lation  and  the  poverty  of  the  people  the  weakly  die  off  in 
childhood,  and  the  struggle  for  life  is  so  severe  that  the  wits 
of  the  people  become  sharpened.  They  are  the  cleverest 
bargainers  in  the  world.  Every  transaction  is  a  battle  in 
which  purchaser  and  seller  try  to  get  the  better  of  one  an 
other.  Physically  they  are  fine  men;  and  their  lives  being 
for  the  most  part  hard,  they  have  little  or  no  fear  of  death. 

"When  you  take  all  these  things  into  consideration,  you 
can  see  that  there  is  a  great  deal  to  be  said  for  the  action 


84  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

of  the  Chinese.  They  have  perpetrated  horrible  cruelties 
upon  the  missionaries  and  native  Christians,  but  they  have 
lived  under  a  cruel  regime.  Capital  punishment  under  the 
most  atrocious  conditions  is  very  frequent  among  them,  and 
they  have  become  habituated  and  hardened  to  it.  You  must 
remember  that  at  home  as  late  as  the  reign  of  Queen  Eliza 
beth  any  persons  found  begging  were  executed,  or,  as  a  mild 
punishment  for  a  first  offence,  had  their  hands  or  ears  cut 
off. 

"  Of  course,  if  we  are  attacked,  I  shall  aid  in  the  defence ; 
but  although  I  have  lost  my  sister-in-law  and  her  husband, 
I  shall  feel  no  personal  animosity  towards  the  Chinese,  for  I 
consider  that  we  have,  from  their  point  of  view,  given  them 
ample  grounds  for  endeavouring  to  get  rid  of  us." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  that  I  ever  thought  of  it  in  that 
light,  Father,  but  it  certainly  does  seem  rough  on  them  that 
we  should  seize  port  after  port  on  the  smallest  pretext,  and 
send  our  people  interfering  with  their  customs  and  religions 
all  over  the  country.  Certainly  at  ordinary  times  they  have 
always  seemed  to  me  an  inoffensive  set  of  people,  placid  and 
good-tempered,  which  makes  it  all  the  more  extraordinary 
that  they  should  go  in  for  such  hideous  massacres.  However, 
Father,  whatever  excuse  they  have,  it  is  quite  certain  that 
we  must  not  let  them  take  Tientsin  if  we  can  keep  them  out 
of  it." 

"We  shall  certainly  do  our  best,"  Mr.  Bateman  laughed, 
"  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  shall  succeed.  Still,  we  may 
have  some  tough  work  before  us. 

"We  have  received  a  despatch  from  Macdonald  urgently 
asking  that  troops  should  be  sent  up  at  once,"  Mr.  Bateman 
said  to  Hex  two  days  after  his  return. 

"Well,  Father,  if  things  really  do  look  bad  I  should  like 
to  go  back  again.  I  told  the  girls  that  I  would,  and  I  cer- 


85 

tainly  should  like  to  be  there  on  my  own  account  if  there 
is  any  fighting." 

"  Probably  there  will  be  fighting  here  also,  Hex." 
"  Yes,  Father,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  you  will  be  able 
to  beat  them  off  here.  Marines  and  blue- jackets  will  be  sent 
up  from  the  ships  to  take  the  place  of  those  who  are  going 
forward  now.  Besides,  no  doubt  an  attack  will  be  made  on 
the  Taku  Forts,  and  you  know  they  are  not  formidable.  I 
don't  think,  however,  that  it  is  anything  like  so  certain  that 
they  will  be  able  to  hold  out  in  Pekin.  The  Legations  cover 
a  big  extent  of  ground,  and  what  with  the  Boxers,  the  lower 
classes  of  the  city,  and  the  Chinese  army,  there  will  be  a 
tremendous  pressure  upon  them.  Now,  as  Ah  Lo  and  I  man 
aged  to  get  the  girls  away  from  Chafui,  it  seems  to  me 
possible  that,  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  we  may  manage 
to  rescue  them  again.  At  any  rate  I  know  it  would  be  a  big 
comfort  to  them  if  I  were  there." 

"  I  don't  know,  Rex,"  his  father  said  gravely,  "  that  I 
should  be  justified  in  letting  you  go.  Still,  you  got  so 
wonderfully  out  of  the  last  business  that  I  am  disposed  to 
let  you  have  your  own  way  in  this.  Besides,  if  there  is 
fighting  here,  which  I  think  probable,  you  will,  of  course, 
want  to  take  part  in  it,  and  are  as  likely  to  be  killed  here 
as  at  Pekin,  and  as  it  will  certainly  be  a  comfort  to  the  girls 
to  have  you  there,  I  shall  not  say  *  No.'  There  will,  however, 
be  no  occasion  for  you  to  go  up  with  the  troops.  Possibly 
on  their  arrival  there  things  will  calm  down,  and  in  that 
case  the  troubles  are  more  likely  to  begin  here  by  the  sea.  I 
think  there  is  scarcely  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  the  Taku 
Forts  will  be  bombarded,  and  that  the  ships  will  open  a  pas 
sage  for  the  gun-boats  up  the  river.  You  had  better,  there 
fore,  wait  for  a  week  at  any  rate,  by  which  time  we  shall 
hear  whether  matters  have  settled  down  in  Pekin." 


86  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  Very  well,  Father,  but  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  chance 
of  that.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Empress  and  her  favour 
ites  are  secretly  urging  on  the  Boxers,  and  although  these 
will  probably  begin  an  attack,  they  will  be  joined  in  the  end 
by  the  Imperial  troops.  I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  I 
shall  be  able  to  get  there  in  time.  You  see,  Father,  if  I  take 
part  in  the  defence  of  the  Pekin  Legations  it  will  be  some 
thing  to  talk  about  all  my  life." 

"  I  am  afraid,  Rex,"  his  father  said  with  a  smile,  "  that, 
although  I  do  not  say  that  you  are  not  anxious  to  be  at  hand 
if  your  cousins  are  in  danger,  you  would  be  just  as  eager 
to  go  if  they  were  not  at  Pekin  at  all.  I  begin  to  think  that 
I  have  made  a  mistake  in  your  education,  that  I  should  have 
done  better  if  I  had  kept  you  by  me  and  sent  you  to  the 
College  of  Student  Interpreters  at  Pekin.  It  seems  to  me 
that  you  are  more  fitted  for  the  profession  of  a  knight- 
errant  than  a  sober  trader." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  think  so,  Father !  When  things  are  quiet  I 
shall  be  quite  content  to  be  quiet,  to  work  hard  all  day, 
and  to  take  a  ride  or  sail  in  the  evening." 

"  Well,  we  shall  see  when  matters  do  settle  down,  Rex, 
as  I  have  no  doubt  they  will  after  a  time.  I  shall  be  quite 
content  if  we  resume  trade  at  the  treaty  ports  as  before,  and 
I  hope  that  the  result  of  this  war  will  not  be  the  further 
breaking  up  of  China." 

The  next  morning  the  glad  news  was  heard  that  strong 
detachments  from  all  the  ships  of  war  were  coming  up  and 
were  going  to  march  on  Pekin.  Admiral  Seymour  was  to 
be  in  command,  and  the  force  would  amount  to  about  two 
thousand. 

"  This  is  splendid,  isn't  it,  Father  ? "  said  Rex. 

"  It  is  capital  news,  my  boy ;  but  two  thousand  men  are 
but  a  small  body  to  go  through  a  bitterly  hostile  country 


defended  by  an  army  which,  including  the  Boxers,  cannot 
be  put  at  much  less  than  forty  thousand  men.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  railway  will  have  been  greatly  damaged  by 
the  Boxers,  and  if  our  men  trust  to  that,  they  will  have  no 
means  of  transport  when  they  come  to  the  point  where  the 
line  is  destroyed,  which  will  probably  be  about  half-way 
between  this  and  Pekin.  At  the  same  time  it  is  undoubtedly 
right  that  the  effort  should  be  made.  Our  countrymen 
cannot  be  allowed  to  perish  if  it  be  possible  to  save  them. 
We  know  that  so  far  they  are  unhurt,  for  the  telegraph  wire 
is  still  open  to  Shanghai,  and  we  get  messages  from  there, 
contradictory  ones,  it  is  true,  but  still,  in  spite  of  the  varying 
nature  of  the  reports,  there  is  little  doubt  that  up  to  the 
present  time  the  Legations  are  safe. 

"  It  is  probable,  indeed,  that  those  four  hundred  men  who 
went  up  to  Pekin  six  weeks  ago  as  guards  to  the  Legation 
have  so  far  saved  the  situation.  The  Chinese,  as  you  know, 
did  all  in  their  power  to  prevent  them  from  coming.  For 
tunately  the  ambassadors  had  by  that  time  so  fully  recog 
nized  the  danger  of  the  situation  that  they  brought  them  up 
in  spite  of  the  Chinese  Ministers.  It  is  but  a  small  force  to 
resist  a  well-armed  army  and  a  vast  crowd  of  Boxers  and  the 
rabble  of  the  town,  but  there  must  be  a  good  number  of 
white  men  there,  missionaries  of  the  city,  and  many  who 
have  made  their  way  in  from  country  stations.  The  Euro 
pean  shopkeepers,  too,  and  such  merchants  as  have  not  left, 
will  between  them  considerably  raise  the  fighting  force. 
Besides,  you  told  me  that  at  any  rate  some  slight  defences 
had  been  thrown  up  when  you  came  away;  no  doubt  these 
have  since  been  increased.  It  is  fortunate  that  all  the  Lega 
tions  are  fairly  close  to  each  other,  and  can  probably  be 
connected  with  each  other  without  much  difficulty. 

"  The  German,  French,  Japanese,  and  Pekin  Hotels  make 


88  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

practically  one  block,  the  Spanish  is  but  a  short  distance 
away,  the  British  Legation  is  separated  from  the  Palace  of 
Prince  Su  only  by  the  street,  the  Russian  Legation  lies  close 
to  the  British,  and  the  United  States  Legation  and  Russian 
Bank  face  it.  I  should  fancy  that  the  line  of  defence  will 
include  all  these.  The  Dutch  Legation  is  isolated  on  one 
side,  and  the  Italian  on  the  other.  The  Austrian  and  the 
Belgian  Legations  also  lie  apart,  and  close  to  the  former 
are  the  post-office  and  customs.  These,  however,  are  all  that 
are  outside  the  probable  line.  I  should  hope  that  the  Tartar 
wall,  which  overlooks  the  whole  and  is  close  to  the  United 
States  and  German  Legations,  will  also  be  held.  It  is  a  big 
area  for  seven  or  eight  hundred  men  to  defend;  but  it  was 
not  a  much  larger  force  that  held  Lucknow,  and  what  can  be 
done  in  one  place  can  be  done  in  another." 

"  I  do  hope,  Father,  that  you  will  allow  me  to  go  up  with 
the  troops.  If,  as  you  think,  they  are  not  able  to  reach  Pekin, 
I  could  push  on  in  disguise  and  get  into  the  town  as  easily 
as  I  left  it.  I  don't  think  there  will  be  the  least  difficulty 
about  that.  I  am  very  anxious  about  the  girls,  and  might,  if 
the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  escape  with  them  in  disguise,  as 
I  did  before.  Even  if  Admiral  Seymour's  force  should  fight 
its  way  into  the  town,  I  should  think  that  they  will  be  in  a 
similar  position  to  that  in  which  General  Havelock  found 
himself  when  he  fought  his  way  into  Cawnpore.  He  would 
certainly  be  able  to  defend  the  Legations  against  the  whole 
Chinese  force,  but  he  might  not  be  able  to  cut  his  way  out, 
encumbered  as  he  must  be,  with  a  mass  of  native  Christians 
who  certainly  could  not  be  left  there  to  be  murdered.  Even 
putting  the  girls  aside,  I  should  like,  above  all  things,  to 
take  part  in  the  defence." 

"I  don't  know  that  you  would  be  able  to  go  with  the 
troops  even  if  I  gave  you  leave,  Rex." 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  89 

"Well,  you  see,  I  should  become  an  interpreter.  They 
will  be  sure  to  want  some  men  with  them  who  know  the 
language,  to  question  prisoners,  and  buy  stores,  and  so  on." 

"  Well,  I  will  think  it  over.  I  must  speak  to  your  mother 
before  I  settle  on  such  a  question  as  that.  Of  course  there 
will  be  a  good  deal  of  danger,  but  I  have  very  little  doubt 
that  as  soon  as  these  troops  go  up,  the  Chinese  will  attack 
us  here.  Large  numbers  of  them  are  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  if  they  find  they  cannot  resist  the  advance  of  the  force, 
they  will  close  in  behind  it  and  march  upon  this  town.  Cer 
tainly  we  could  not  hope  to  hold  the  native  quarter,  but  I 
feel  sure  that  we  could  defend  the  settlement.  Still,  we 
might  lose  many  men.  There  will,  of  course,  be  no  fear  of 
our  having  to  stand  a  long  siege,  for  the  fleet  are  sure  to 
batter  down  the  Taku  Forts,  and  the  gun-boats  will  shortly 
be  sent  up  the  river.  Besides,  the  troops  from  India  and 
Port  Arthur,  and  the  Japanese,  will  soon  arrive,  and  will 
no  doubt  come  up  to  our  succour.  I  can  quite  understand 
your  desire  to  take  part  in  the  siege,  to  say  nothing  of  your 
idea  of  getting  the  girls  away.  Going  up  with  two  thousand 
men  also  is  a  very  different  affair  from  starting  off  on  your 
own  account." 

The  next  morning  at  breakfast  Mr.  Bateman  said :  "  I  have 
talked  the  matter  over  with  your  mother,  and  though  she  is 
very  reluctant  to  part  with  you,  she  has  given  her  consent,  as 
I  have  pointed  out  to  her  that  naturally  at  your  age  you  want 
to  take  part  in  a  defence  which  is  likely  to  be  historical,  and 
that  you  would  certainly  be  a  comfort  to  your  cousins  and 
might  be  of  vital  service.  You  have  already  shown  great 
presence  of  mind  and  resource,  and  I  have  no  doubt  would 
do  so  again  in  case  of  necessity." 

"  But  you  must  promise  me,"  Mrs.  Bateman  said,  "  that 
you  will  take  care  of  yourself,  and  not  expose  yourself  need- 


90  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

lessly.  You  must  remember,  my  boy,  that,  fond  as  we  are  of 
your  cousins,  you  are  all  in  all  to  us.  You  are  our  only 
child,  and  for  our  sakes  you  must  promise  not  to  thrust  your 
self  needlessly  into  danger." 

"  I  will  not  run  risks  more  than  I  can  help,  Mother.  Oi' 
course,  if  I  do  get  into  Pekin,  I  must  take  part  in  the 
defence." 

"  Yes,  Rex,  of  course,  I  understand  that ;  I  only  beg  of  you 
not  to  expose  yourself  recklessly." 

"  I  promise  not  to  do  so,  Mother.  Of  course  I  shall  take 
Ah  Lo  with  me.  I  am  awfully  obliged  to  you  for  giving  your 
consent ;  it  would  be  a  splendid  thing  to  go  through  the  siege. 
It  is  not  like  an  ordinary  siege  in  an  ordinary  war.  They 
have  attacked  us  and  perpetrated  the  most  horrible  mas 
sacres  all  over  the  country;  they  have  lied  through  thick  and 
thin ;  they  are  treacherous  and  cruel  brutes,  who  will  certainly 
show  no  mercy  if  they  capture  the  place,  so  that  I  shall  feel 
that  I  am  fighting  in  a  good  cause,  and  that  these  men 
deserve  all  they  will  get." 

Tientsin  presented  a  busy  appearance.  Troops  arrived 
fast  by  train  from  the  coast,  and  it  became  known  that  an 
expedition  of  some  two  thousand  men  was  going  to  advance 
to  Pekin  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Seymour. 

"  Do  you  think,  Father,  that  you  could  get  leave  for  me  to 
accompany  the  expedition.  I  could  make  myself  useful  as 
an  interpreter." 

"  I  was  introduced  to  Admiral  Seymour  this  morning, 
Rex,  and  the  idea  did  occur  to  me  then,  but  I  thought  it  well 
to  wait  until  I  talked  the  matter  over  with  you  again.  It 
would  certainly  be  far  less  risky  to  go  with  the  troops  than 
to  make  your  way  up  in  disguise,  for  by  all  accounts  the 
Boxers  and  the  roughs  who  have  joined  them  are  clearing 
out  the  villages  and  putting  numbers  of  people  to  death.  So 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  91 

you  see  your  disguise  could  not  be  any  great  protection. 
However,  I  shall  see  Admiral  Seymour  again  this  afternoon, 
for  I  am  supplying  a  good  many  articles  they  require.  If 
you  go  with  me  I  shall  introduce  you  to  him,  and  we  shall 
hear  what  he  says  about  it." 

Admiral  Seymour  was  at  the  railway-station  seeing  to  the 
detrainment  of  a  strong  body  of  marines  and  blue- jackets 
and  to  the  unloading  of  their  stores.  Mr.  Bateman  waited 
until  he  was  disengaged,  and  as  he  was  leaving  the  station 
went  up  to  him. 

"  I  have  sent  the  things  you  wanted  to  the  depot,  and  shall 
be  willing  to  send  any  further  supplies  that  you  may  require. 
Everything  in  my  store  is  entirely  at  your  disposal. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  present  my  son  to  you.  He  has 
only  lately  returned  from  a  most  hazardous  journey  which 
he  accomplished  in  disguise.  He  went  to  save  two  girl 
cousins  of  his  who  were  the  sole  survivors  of  a  mission  station 
at  Chafui.  He  succeeded  in  rescuing  them  and  taking  them 
to  Pekin,  where  he  was  obliged  to  leave  them,  as  they  were 
prostrated  by  what  they  had  gone  through.  He  is  very 
anxious  to  return  there;  and  as  he  speaks  Chinese  perfectly, 
he  thought  perhaps  that  you  would  be  kind  enough  to  allow 
him  to  accompany  your  expedition  in  the  character  of  an 
interpreter.  He  might  be  useful  in  questioning  prisoners 
or  villagers.  He  could  carry  arms  also,  for  he  and  a  native 
servant  annihilated  a  party  of  twelve  Boxers  who  attacked 
them  while  they  were  bringing  his  cousins  down." 

"  I  have  already  got  two  or  three  interpreters,  Mr.  Bate 
man,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  could  do  very  well  with 
another.  I  will  attach  him  to  the  company  of  marines  and 
blue-jackets  from  the  Centurion/' 

"  Thank  you  very  much  indeed,  Admiral !  " 

"  Ah,  here  is  Major  Johnston,   who   commands   the   ma- 


92  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

rines !  "  said  the  admiral ;  "  I  will  put  you  under  his  charge 
at  once. 

"  Major  Johnston,  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  take  charge 
of  this  young  gentleman.  He  speaks  Chinese  fluently,  and 
no  doubt  you  will  find  him  very  useful  as  an  interpreter. 
He  is  most  anxious  to  get  up  to  Pekin,  because  two  of  the 
young  ladies  there  are  his  cousins.  He  will  probably  have 
a  yarn  to  tell  you  of  how  he  rescued  them  from  the 
Boxers  at  Chafui.  You  will,  of  course,  attach  him  to  your 
mess." 

"  Very  well,  sir,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  someone  with 
me  who  speaks  Chinese;  we  are  pretty  sure  to  get  hold  of 
some  wounded  Boxers,  and  we  may  get  valuable  information 
from  them." 

Again  thanking  the  admiral,  Rex  went  off  with  the  major, 
whose  men  were  quartered  in  the  customs-house.  He  was 
soon  busy  translating  orders  to  the  coolies  who  were  assisting 
in  bringing  up  cases  of  ammunition  and  other  stores.  In  a 
couple  of  hours  all  was  quiet. 

"  My  father  will  be  very  glad,  sir,"  he  said  to  the  major, 
"  if  you  will  take  up  your  abode  at  his  house.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  all  the  officers  will  be  quartered  among  the  resi 
dents.  I  think  that  we  can  very  well  house  four,  and,  if  they 
don't  mind  squeezing,  six  or  seven." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Bateman !  I  don't  know  whether  we 
have  been  told  off  to  quarters,  but  if  not,  I  will  very  gladly 
accept  your  offer." 

Rex  hurried  home,  and  his  father  returned  with  him  and 
assured  the  officer  that  it  would  be  a  great  pleasure  to  him  to 
have  as  many  officers  as  the  house  would  hold,  and  that  he 
could  very  well  contrive  to  take  in  ten  of  them. 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Bateman !  It  will  take  some 
little  time  to  see  the  men  properly  quartered.  I  notice  that 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  93 

a  quantity  of  straw  has  been  provided  for  them.  What  time 
do  you  dine  ?  " 

"  We  will  fix  our  dinner  hour  to  suit  you.  We  generally 
dine  at  seven." 

"  That  will  suit  us  very  well.  I  command  two  companies, 
and  have  six  officers,  whom  I  will  bring  with  me.  You  will 
have  to  take  us  in  the  rough,  for  we  have  only  the  uniforms 
that  we  stand  in." 

"  You  shall  dine  in  your  shirt  sleeves  if  you  like,  Major." 

Rex  returned  with  his  father,  and  there  was  for  a  short 
time  some  bustle  in  the  house  getting  bedrooms  ready  and 
making  arrangements  for  dinner.  At  seven  o'clock  the 
officers  arrived  and  were  introduced  by  Major  Johnston  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Batemaii.  They  were  a  merry  party,  for  the 
officers  were  all  in  high  spirits  at  being  selected  to  take  part 
in  the  expedition.  When  they  heard  that  Rex  had  only  re 
turned  from  Pekin  the  week  before,  they  asked  him  innumer 
able  questions  as  to  the  country  -and  the  strength  of  the  force 
that  would  be  likely  to  oppose  them. 

"  I  think  that  you  will  have  harder  work  than  you  expect," 
he  said.  "  A  considerable  portion  of  the  railway  is  certainly 
pulled  up,  and,  judging  by  the  number  of  fires  I  saw  as  I 
came  down  at  night,  the  enemy  must  be  in  very  strong  force. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will  fight  hard,  for  the  Boxers  be 
lieve  that  they  are  invulnerable,  and  will  fight  with  fanatical 
fury." 

"  We  shall  soon  teach  them  that  they  are  mistaken  as  to 
their  invulnerability,"  one  of  the  officers  laughed,  "  and  I 
don't  think  that  any  number  of  armed  peasants,  for  that  is 
what  they  are,  will  stop  us." 

"  I  hope  not,  indeed,"  Rex  said.  "  I  only  say  that  I  think 
it  will  be  harder  work  than  you  expect." 

"  Now,  Mr.  Bateman,"  the  Major  said,  "  I  hope  that  you 


94  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

will  tell  us  the  story  of  the  rescue  of  your  cousins,  of  which 
the  admiral  told  me." 

"  I  have  had  to  tell  it  so  many  times  since  I  came  back," 
Rex  said,  "  that  I  really  hope  you  will  excuse  me." 

"  Oh,  no,  that  is  mistaken  modesty  on  your  part ! " 

"I  will  tell  it  for  him,"  his  father  said;  "it  is  a  good 
story,  and  does  the  boy  great  credit." 

"  Then  I  will  go  and  see  if  everything  is  ready  outside," 
said  Hex. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  he  returned,  and  by  that  time 
his  father  had  finished  the  story.  The  officers  all  warmly 
congratulated  him  when  he  re-entered  the  room. 

"  I  wish  I  had  done  it,"  one  of  the  young  lieutenants  said. 
"  I  would  have  given  anything  to  have  carried  out  such  a 
plan." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  not  been  in  England  at  all,"  the 
Major  said ;  "  for  if  you  had  been  you  would  scarcely  have 
been  able  to  speak  Chinese  so  well." 

"Yes,  he  has  been  four  years  there,"  Mr.  Bateman  said, 
"but  I  sent  over  with  him  a  Chinese  boy,  who  has  always 
been  his  companion,  and  Hex  had  two  days  off  school  each 
week  to  go  about  with  him  and  so  keep  up  his  knowledge  of 
the  language.  I  intend  to  go  home  myself  in  a  few  years' 
time,  and  as  he  will  then  be  left  in  charge  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  he  should  keep  up  his  Chinese.  Latin  and 
Greek  would  be  of  no  value  whatever  here,  so  I  arranged  that 
he  should  only  take  up  English  subjects  and  English  games." 

"  A  capital  plan,  Mr.  Bateman.  His  knowledge  of  the 
language  has  already  stood  him  in  good  stead." 

"What  is  the  latest  news?" 

"  We  had  a  telegram  to  say  that  the  American  Mission 
buildings  at  Tung  Chau,  twelve  miles  from  Pekin,  have  been 
abandoned  by  the  missionaries,  and  have  been  looted  and 


WITH  SEYMOUR'S  COLUMN  95 

burned  by  the  Chinese  soldiers  sent  to  protect  them;  and 
further,  that  seventy-five  native  Christians,  who  have  been 
trained  for  years  by  the  American  missionaries,  were  mas 
sacred  there.  The  British  Legation  summer  residence  in  the 
hills  near  Pekin  has  also  been  burned.  A  telegram  from 
Shanghai  says  that  there  has  been  a  fight  between  General 
Nel  Hsi  Chong,  with  three  thousand  men,  and  the  Boxers, 
and  it  is  reported  that  the  general  has  been  superseded  for 
his  trouble." 

"  When  do  you  leave  ?  " 

"  The  rest  of  the  force  will  be  up  to-morrow,  and  we  shall 
start  on  the  following  morning.  Altogether  we  shall  have 
nine  hundred  and  fifteen  British,  three  hundred  and  fifteen 
Germans,  three  hundred  Russians,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  French,  one  hundred  and  four  Americans,  fifty-two 
Japanese,  forty  Italians,  and  twenty-five  Austrians." 

"  Rather  a  mixed  lot,"  Mr.  Bateman  said.  "  It  is  as  well 
that  our  contingent  is  so  strong.  Had  it  not  been  so,  Ad 
miral  Seymour  might  have  found  some  difficulty  with  the 
commanders  of  so  many  nationalities." 

"  Yes,  it  is  certainly  well  that  we  constitute  nearly  half 
the  force — more  than  half  the  force,  if  we  count  in  the 
Americans  and  Japs,  on  both  of  whom  we  can  rely.  How 
ever,  I  don't  think  that  there  will  be  any  trouble  with  the 
Russians,  Germans,  and  French,  who  won't  be  able  to  under 
stand  each  other,  and  as  it  is  so  short  a  march  they  will 
have  no  opportunity  of  coming  to  any  mutual  understanding. 
We  might  even  count  in  the  two  small  parties  of  Austrians 
and  Italians  as  going  with  us." 


CHAPTEE  VI 

IN   PEKIN 

A  LL  were  hard  at  work  on  the  following  day  making  prep- 
-^*-  arations  for  the  advance.  Rex  acted  as  interpreter  to 
the  major,  and  got  on  quite  familiar  terms  with  his  officers. 
The  start  was  made  early  the  next  morning  in  four  troop 
trains.  The  men  cheered  lustily  as  they  started,  and  the 
residents  of  the  town  all  gathered  to  give  them  a  hearty  send- 
off.  Rex  managed  to  get  a  place  in  the  train  for  Ah  Lo,  and 
took  with  him  in  a  small  bundle  the  disguise  he  had  worn  at 
Chafui.  He  was  perhaps  the  only  person  in  the  train  who  did 
not  feel  absolutely  confident  of  a  triumphant  march  to  Pekin, 
but  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  should  they  have  to  fall 
back  he  would  himself  pursue  his  journey  with  Ah  Lo. 

For  a  time  the  train  passed  through  cultivated  ground,  but 
the  work  of  the  enemy  was  very  soon  visible.  Portions  of  the 
line  were  torn  up  in  many  places,  and  attempts  had  evidently 
been  made  to  destroy  the  bridges.  Several  times  the  train 
had  to  stop  in  order  to  make  repairs,  but  owing  to  the  large 
number  of  hands  available  the  work  was  performed  so  rapidly 
that  there  was  only  a  short  delay  at  these  points.  At  Lo-Fa 
for  the  first  time  the  Boxers  were  seen  actively  engaged.  The 
plate-layers'  cabins  were  in  flames,  and  the  telegraph  poles 
had  been  cut  down,  and  men  were  engaged  in  destroying 
them.  The  villages  bordering  the  line  were  also  in  flames,  and 
the  inscription,  "  Kill  all  foreigners,"  was  posted  up  every 
where.  The  Chinese  troops  alighted  and  fired  several  vol- 


IX   PEKIN  97 

leys  at  parties  of  Boxers,  but  apparently  without  doing  any 
execution,  their  ineffectual  efforts  exciting  much  merriment 
among  the  allied  troops. 

A  mile  farther  smoke  was  seen  rising  from  several  villages, 
and  General  Nieh  refused  absolutely  to  continue  the  journey, 
declaring  that  the  whole  country  was  evidently  swarming 
with  Boxers,  and  that  it  was  highly  dangerous  to  advance. 
He  insisted  on  returning  to  Lo-Fa.  Admiral  Seymour 
strongly  urged  him  to  remain  there  with  his  men,  but  with 
out  success;  he  and  his  soldiers  were  firmly  convinced  that 
it  was  useless  to  try  to  fight  the  Boxers,  who,  they  believed, 
were  invulnerable  to  shot.  After  the  Chinese  had  left,  the 
troops  were  detrained.  The  work  of  repairing  the  line  had  for 
the  last  few  miles  been  very  heavy,  and  as  it  was  already 
late  they  halted  there  for  the  night. 

So  far  their  work  had  been  altogether  unimpeded  by  the 
enemy,  who  had  apparently  fallen  back  as  soon  as  the  laden 
trains  were  seen  approaching  in  the  distance.  The  troops 
had  grumbled  a  good  deal  at  the  cowardice  of  the  enemy, 
but  consoled  themselves  with  the  idea  that  they  had  not  yet 
gone  half-way,  and  that  no  doubt  the  Boxers  would  make  a 
stand  later  on. 

There  were  plenty  of  materials  for  making  camp  fires,  and 
these  were  soon  blazing,  and  as  night  closed  in,  songs  in 
various  languages  rose  from  the  bivouacs  of  the  different 
nationalities.  The  officers  gathered  round  their  own  fires 
and  chatted  on  the  prospect  before  them. 

"  Your  anticipations  have  not  been  fulfilled  thus  far,  Bate- 
man,"  one  of  the  lieutenants  said  to  Rex. 

"  No,  but  it  is  not  yet  time  for  them  to  be  fulfilled.  It  was 
only  during  the  first  half  of  my  journey  down  that  I  saw  the 
Boxers'  fires  all  over  the  country.  They  will  become  thicker 
and  thicker  as  we  near  Pekin,  and  in  the  end  I  expect  that 


98  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  whole  Chinese  army  will  come  out  to  meet  us,  swollen 
by  the  rabble  of  the  town." 

The  expedition  moved  forward  again  in  the  morning.  It 
was  soon  evident  that  in  the  country  through  which  they  were 
now  advancing  the  Boxers  had  carried  out  their  operations 
more  thoroughly  than  in.  that  through  which  they  had 
already  passed.  In  many  places  the  railroad  had  been  taken 
up  for  some  hundreds  of  yards,  and  the  sleepers  carried  off 
and  burned,  while  the  whole  of  the  telegraph  poles  had  been 
cut  down  and  the  wires  carried  away.  The  troops  were  very 
soon  all  detrained  again  and  employed  in  the  work  of  re 
storing  the  line,  an  operation  which  was  only  carried  on 
with  great  difficulty. 

In  the  meantime  Lieutenant  Smith  of  the  Aurora  went 
forward  with  a  party  of  three  officers  and  forty-four  men  to 
try  to  reach  Neting,  thirteen  miles  ahead,  to  prevent  more 
damage  being  done  to  the  line  and  to  hold  the  railway-station 
there.  He  was  attacked  soon  after  he  started.  At  three 
villages  in  succession  he  drove  the  enemy  out  with  ease;  but 
at  half-past  ten  a  determined  attack  was  made  on  him  by 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  Boxers,  who  charged  in  line 
with  great  courage.  His  little  force,  however,  repulsed  them 
with  heavy  loss;  but  as  ammunition  was  then  beginning  to 
run  short,  and  the  enemy  was  still  increasing  in  strength, 
Lieutenant  Smith  retired.  As  great  bands  of  Boxers  could 
be  seen  in  the  distance,  Major  Johnston  was  sent  forward 
with  sixty  men  to  examine  the  line  ahead. 

"You  may  as  well  come  on  with  me,  Bateman;  we  shall 
very  likely  fall  in  with  some  villagers  and  perhaps  capture  a 
Boxer,  and  so  get  information  as  to  the  position  of  the  enemy 
in  front  of  us  and  the  state  of  the  line." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  come,  sir." 

Ah  Lo,  without  receiving  any  specific  orders,  fell  in  as  a 


IX    TEKIX  99 

matter  of  course  in  the  rear  of  the  marines.  They  went 
steadily  on,  keeping  two  miles  ahead  of  the  leading  train, 
and  when  eight  miles  above  Lo-Fa  they  saw  a  body  of  Boxers, 
which  they  reckoned  about  three  thousand  strong,  streaming 
out  from  a  village  on  the  left.  This  force  did  not  make 
directly  for  the  little  party,  but  bore  towards  their  rear  with 
the  evident  intention  of  cutting  them  off.  They  had  with 
them  a  good  many  mounted  men  who,  dashing  forward, 
crossed  the  railway  behind  them,  while  the  men  on  foot  made 
for  a  partially-burned  bridge  and  a  village  commanding  the 
line. 

"  Fall  back  at  the  double!  "  Major  Johnston  called.  "  Not 
too  fast ;  it  is  certain  that  we  shall  have  to  fight  them,  and  it 
won't  do  to  put  ourselves  out  of  breath.  Keep  up  a  quick 
fire  as  you  go ;  halt  when  you  fire,  and  take  steady  aim.  They 
won't  like  the  long  range  of  our  bullets.  I  don't  suppose  we 
shall  do  them  much  harm,  but  our  fellows  will  hear  the  firing 
at  the  wagons  and  we  shall  soon  have  a  party  up  to  our 
assistance." 

Kex  and  Ah  Lo  unslung  their  rifles  and  joined  the  marines 
in  their  steady  fire.  The  return  of  the  enemy  was  not  effec 
tive;  only  a  few  were  armed  with  guns,  and  these  were  not 
of  long  range.  For  a  mile  a  running  fight  was  kept  up, 
twenty  or  thirty  of  the  enemy  being  killed.  They  neverthe 
less  persisted  in  their  endeavour  to  cut  off  the  party.  When, 
however,  he  saw  a  body  of  marines  and  blue- jackets  coming 
up  at  the  double,  the  major  at  once  halted  his  men. 

"  Now,  my  lads,  you  can  give  them  independent  fire  as 
quick  as  you  like;  there  is  no  fear  of  their  closing  with  us 
now." 

The  Boxers  who  had  crossed  the  line  began  to  move  back 
and  join  their  companions,  and  the  approaching  blue- jackets 
at  once  opened  fire  upon  them  with  rifles  and  Maxims.  The 


100  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

reinforcements  soon  joined  Major  Johnston's  party,  and 
under  his  lead  attacked  the  village  and  drove  the  Boxers 
from  it.  Following  hotly  upon  their  heels,  they  forced  them 
also  to  retire  from  another  village  with  the  loss  of  some  forty 
killed  and  wounded. 

Ilex's  services  were  at  once  called  into  requisition.  He 
slung  his  rifle  behind  him,  and  set  to  work  to  interrogate 
seven  wounded  Boxers  who  had  fallen  into  our  hands.  From 
them  he  learned  that  farther  back  the  line  had  been  almost 
entirely  pulled  up,  that  the  forces  there  were  very  numerous, 
and  their  strength  had  just  been  increased  by  the  addition 
of  ten  thousand  regular  troops,  who  had  been  nominally  dis 
banded  in  order  that  they  could  join  the  Boxers,  while  the 
Government  might  be  able  still  to  affirm  that  the  Boxers  were 
acting  in  defiance  of  their  orders  and  that  no  Imperial  troops 
had  joined  them.  They  said,  too,  that  a  considerable  propor 
tion  of  the  troops  in  Pekin  had  been  brought  to  the  southern 
gate  to  oppose  the  relieving  army  if  they  broke  through  the 
forces  opposed  to  them.  Rex  learned  that  two  days  pre 
viously  there  had  been  fighting  in  Pekin  and  that  it  was 
expected  that  the  Legations  would  all  be  taken  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days. 

The  army  advanced  no  farther  that  night,  but  the  next 
day  pushed  on  to  Lang  Fang,  which  was  half-way  to  Pekin. 
They  found  all  the  station  buildings  destroyed  and  three 
hundred  yards  of  the  track  torn  up.  Boxers  were  seen  busy 
in  the  work  of  destruction,  but  when  a  shell  was  dropped 
among  them  they  fled.  A  patrol  that  went  out  reported  that 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  of  the  track  had  been  destroyed. 

The  news  that  he  had  learned  from  the  wounded  Boxers 
on  the  previous  day  had  excited  in  Rex  a  burning  desire  to 
push  forward.  The  position  in  Pekin  seemed  to  be  pre 
carious,  and  he  became  so  impatient  to  get  to  the  principal 


REX    INTERROGATES   A   WOUNDED   BOXER. 


IN   PEKIK  101 

scene  of  action  that  he  determined  to  leave  the  army  and 
make  his  way  up  in  disguise.  It  was  evident  that  if  the  line 
was,  as  it  seemed,  almost  totally  destroyed  beyond  this  point, 
the  progress  of  the  relief  column  must  be  extremely  slow. 
As  the  troops  must  hold  to  the  railway,  for  they  had  no  other 
means  of  carriage,  it  seemed  to  Rex  highly  improbable  that 
they  would  be  able  to  fight  their  way  into  Pekin.  Having 
made  up  his  mind,  he  went  to  Major  Johnston. 

"  I  am  most  anxious  to  go  forward,"  he  said.  "  We  know 
that  the  Legations  are  attacked,  not  seriously  perhaps  at 
present,  but  they  may  be  so  any  day.  It  appears  to  me  very 
doubtful  whether  this  expedition  will  be  able  to  fight  their 
way  into  the  town,  and  if  they  do  so  it  must  be  a  considerable 
time  before  they  get  there.  I  do  not  know  that  if  the  place 
were  taken  I  should  be  able  to  get  my  cousins  off,  but  at  least 
I  could  try.  At  any  rate,  I  have  brought  my  native  disguise 
with  me,  and  have  no  doubt  that  I  can  make  my  way  into 
Pekin.  How  I  shall  get  into  the  Legation  I  don't  know,  but 
I  think  that  by  mixing  with  the  Boxers  I  shall  be  able  to 
make  my  way  in  at  night.  Is  there  any  occasion,  sir,  for  me 
to  inform  Admiral  Seymour  of  my  intentions?" 

"  None  at  all,  Bateman.  I  shall  probably  have  an  oppor 
tunity  of  speaking  to  him  in  the  morning,  and  shall  mention 
to  him  that  you  have  started  to  make  your  way  in  alone.  It 
is  a  risky  business,  I  know,  and  I  wish  you  well  through  it. 
I  begin  to  think  that  you  were  quite  right  when  you  said 
that  the  opposition  would  be  greater  than  wre  expected.  We 
only  reckoned  upon  the  Boxers,  and  did  not  think  that  they 
would  tear  up  the  railway.  It  is  now  evident  that  our  diffi 
culties  will  increase  with  every  foot  that  we  advance.  I 
trust,  however,  that  if  we  do  have  to  fall  back,  the  Legations 
will  be  able  to  hold  out.  Our  people  may  be  driven  from 
some  of  the  outlying  places,  but  I  should  think  that  if  the 


102  WITH    THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

whole  of  the  defenders  are  concentrated  at  our  Legation  they 
ought  to  be  able  to  defend  it  as  long  as  food  and  water  hold 
out.  You  did  not  hear,  I  suppose,  when  you  were  there,  how 
they  were  provided  in  that  respect." 

"  No,  I  did  not  hear  anything  about  it.  You  see,  when  I 
was  there  the  ambassadors  still  clung  to  the  belief  that  the 
Empress  was  favourably  disposed  towards  foreigners.  As 
far  as  I  could  hear,  no  one  else  thought  so ;  but  I  am  afraid 
that  they  did  not  believe  it  necessary  at  that  time  to  lay  in 
provisions  for  a  siege,  and  if  the  native  Christians  take 
refuge  with  them  they  will  want  a  very  large  supply. 

"  Very  well,  sir;  then  as  soon  as  it  is  dark  I  shall  make  off. 
I  shall  make  straight  for  the  river  and  follow  its  course.  It 
is  certain  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  enemy  will  be 
gathered  close  to  the  line  of  railway,  and  I  don't  anticipate 
any  difficulty  in  making  my  way  up.  Pekin  is  only  some 
forty  or  forty-five  miles  from  here,  and  I  shall  enter  it  to 
morrow.  I  shall,  of  course,  make  a  circuit  of  the  city  and 
go  in  at  the  northern  gate,  and  in  that  way  I  shall  probably 
have  no  difficulty  whatever  until  I  get  near  the  Lega 
tion." 

That  afternoon  Hex  said  "  Good-bye  "  to  the  other  officers 
of  his  acquaintance,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dusk,  coloured  his 
skin,  touched  up  his  eyebrows  and  eyelashes,  painted  a  line 
from  the  corners  of  his  eyes  so  as  to  give  them  an  upward 
inclination,  fastened  on  his  pigtail  again,  and  set  out  with 
Ah  Lo.  As  he  had  anticipated,  they  experienced  no  difficulty 
in  making  their  way  up.  Occasionally  they  saw  parties  of 
Boxers  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  had  to  make  detours 
to  avoid  them,  but  by  morning  they  saw  the  towers  of  Pekin 
ahead.  Turning  aside  into  a  field  of  standing  grain  they 
lay  down  and  slept  for  some  hours,  and  when  they  awoke  they 
made  a  detour  round  the  city  and  entered  by  the  northern 


IN    PEKIN  103 

gate.  As  no  troops  were  stationed  here,  they  went  on  un 
questioned  into  the  city. 

As  they  advanced  they  came  upon  many  ruined  houses, 
and  at  one  point  a  large  tract  had  been  cleared  by  fire. 
Many  dead  lay  in  the  streets,  for  the  most  part  horribly 
slashed  and  mutilated.  Bands  of  roughs  were  still  searching 
ruined  houses  for  loot.  In  some  parts  business  was  still 
going  on;  the  better  class  of  shops  were  all  closed,  but  those 
that  supplied  the  poor  were  open,  and  the  inhabitants  were 
going  about  their  usual  avocations  as  if  nothing  had  hap 
pened. 

As  they  neared  the  Legations  they  could  hear  occa 
sional  firing.  In  this  part  the  shops  were  all  closed,  and 
there  was  no  traffic  whatever  in  the  streets.  At  some  points 
large  numbers  of  Boxers  were  gathered.  Avoiding  these, 
they  turned  into  a  narrow  lane  which  led  towards  the  British 
Legation.  They  went  nearly  to  the  end  of  this,  and  here 
Rex  entered  a  doorway,  took  off  his  Chinese  clothes,  under 
which  he  had  his  own,  wrapped  up  his  pigtail,  and  put  over 
it  a  Scotch  cap  he  had  carried  with  him.  Then  he  and  Ah 
Lo  started  out  at  a  run  for  the  Legation.  Here  and  there 
men  were  grouped  on  the  walls,  and  these,  on  seeing  a  Euro 
pean  coming  along,  shouted  words  of  welcome  to  him.  Half 
a  dozen  shots  were  fired  from  neighbouring  houses,  but  they 
arrived  at  the  entrance  untouched.  A  dozen  soldiers  were 
stationed  here. 

"  You  have  managed  that  well,  sir,"  the  sergeant  in  com 
mand  said  as  they  entered.  "  Have  you  come  far  ?  " 

"  I  have  come  on  from  the  relieving  force.  They  are  at 
Lang  Fang." 

"Will  they  be  here  soon,  sir?" 

"  I  very  much  doubt  whether  they  will  get  through  at  all. 
The  line  is  all  torn  up,  and  they  will  be  opposed  by  an 


104  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

immense  force.    I  fear  that  you  will  have  to  wait  till  a  much 
bigger  force  is  gathered." 

"  That  is  bad  news,  sir,  but  I  expect  we  shall  hold  out  all 
right.  They  don't  seem  very  anxious  to  come  to  close 
quarters." 

Rex  went  straight  to  the  ambassador's  quarters  and  sent  in 
his  name,  and  he  was  at  once  admitted. 

"  So  you  are  back  again,  Mr.  Bateman  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  came  up  with  the  relieving  f or«ee  two  thou 
sand  strong  under  Admiral  Seymour.  They  had  reached 
Lang  Fang,  but  I  have  great  doubts  whether  they  will  get 
much  farther,  as  the  railway  has  been  completely  destroyed, 
and  they  are  without  means  of  carriage.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  they  will  be  met  by  an  ever-increasing  resistance  as  they 
move  forward,  and  twenty  thousand  regular  troops  have 
moved  round  to  the  south  gate  to  oppose  them  if  they  get  as 
far  as  that.  The  communications  are  already  cut  behind 
them,  and  so  large  a  force  is  concentrated  near  Tientsin  that 
that  town  will  probably  be  attacked. 

"The  Taku  Forts  will  be  attacked  very  shortly.  Troops 
are  on  their  way  from  India,  Port  Arthur,  and  Japan,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  before  long  an  army  will  be  gathered 
sufficiently  strong  to  fight  its  way  up.  But  I  fear  that  it 
must  be  some  weeks  before  they  are  in  a  position  to  do  so." 

"Do  you  bring  any  despatches  for  me?" 

"  No,  sir ;  I  was  afraid  that  if  I  mentioned  to  the  admiral 
that  I  was  coming  on,  he  would  object,  so  I  came  off  of  my 
own  account.  I  had  learned  that  the  Legations  were  being 
attacked,  and  I  was  most  anxious  to  be  here  to  cheer  my 
cousins  up,  and  to  endeavour  to  do  what  I  could  for  them  if 
things  went  badly." 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Bateman,  I  am  glad  of  the  news  that  you 
have  brought  me,  though  it  is  not  satisfactory,  but  I  own 


IN   PEKIN  105 

that  I  have  had  my  own  doubts  whether  the  force  that  is 
coming  up  was  strong  enough  to  make  its  way  here.  It  is 
better,  however,  to  know  the  worst.  We  shall  be  glad  of  the 
assistance  of  your  rifle  and  that  of  your  man,  for  we  are 
very  short-handed,  and  even  the  aid  of  two  rifles  is  not  to  be 
despised.  You  had  better  take  up  your  quarters,  as  before, 
at  the  college." 

Rex  withdrew,  and  at  once  went  to  the  doctor's  house. 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that 
the  young  ladies  have  now  pretty  well  recovered,  and  if  the 
railway  were  working  I  should  say  that  they  could  very  safely 
be  taken  down  to  Tientsin.  As  it  is,  however,  they  will  have 
to  wait  until  reinforcements  come  up." 

"  Then  I  can  see  them,  sir  ? " 

"  Certainly ;  the  elder  girl  is  quite  recovered,  and  the 
younger  one  is  convalescent,  but  is  still  weak.  It  will  do  her 
good  rather  than  harm  to  see  you,  for  they  have  necessarily 
been  somewhat  lonely,  as  everyone  here  is  busy.  The  ladies 
have  all  been  occupied  in  making  sacks  to  hold  earth  for  the 
fortifications,  and  the  girls  have  therefore  been  left  more 
to  themselves  than  they  otherwise  would  have  been." 

Rex  at  once  went  across  to  the  house.  The  girls  leapt  up 
with  a  cry  of  delight  as  he  entered. 

"  Oh,  Rex,"  cried  Jenny,  "  we  are  glad  to  see  you !  When 
did  you  return  ?  " 

"  About  half  an  hour  ago.  I  had  to  come  up  in  the  disguise 
I  wore  before.  You  know,  I  suppose,  that  we  are  quite  cut 
off  from  Tientsin  now?  " 

"  So  we  have  heard,  and  they  say  that  there  is  going  to  be 
fighting  here  ? " 

"Yes,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  we  shall  beat  them  off. 
You  need  not  be  uneasy." 

"  Oh,  we  are  sure  of  that !    I  feel  quite  different  from  what 


106  WITH  THE   ALLIES  TO 

we  did  before.  For  the  past  three  or  four  days  I  have  been 
helping  to  make  sacks,  and  even  Mabel  has  done  a  little. 
And  how  are  Uncle  and  Aunt  ? " 

"  They  are  all  right.  I  believe  my  father  will  have  his 
share  of  fighting,  for  a  great  force  of  Chinese  has  gathered 
outside  the  town,  and  they  expect  to  be  attacked.  It  is  hoped, 
however,  that  the  ships  will  destroy  the-Taku  Forts,  in  which 
case  the  light  craft  will  make  their  way  up  to  Tientsin. 
Then,  of  course,  every  man  that  can  be  spared  from  the  ships 
will  join  the  relief  column." 

"  But  I  thought  that  they  were  on  their  way  up  now,  and 
that  we  were  expecting  them  here  to-day  ? " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,  dear,  that  I  think  there  is  very  little 
chance  of  their  coming  at  all  at  present.  I  came  up  with 
Ah  Lo." 

The  girls  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 

"  Then  how  long  do  you  think  it  will  be  before  they  really 
come  up  ? " 

"  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  many  weeks.  Large  reinforce 
ments  of  British  troops  are  coming  from  India,  Russians 
have  been  despatched  from  Port  Arthur,  and  any  number 
of  Japanese,  and  French,  and  Germans  are  being  sent  for 
ward;  but  it  must  be  some  time  before  they  are  all  here,  and 
we  must  make  up  our  minds  that  we  are  going  to  hold  our 
own." 

Then  he  changed  the  subject. 

"  And  so  you  are  getting  stronger,  Mabel  ?  You  are  look 
ing  ever  so  much  better." 

"  Oh  yes !  I  am  feeling  ever  so  much  better,  and  the  doctor 
says  I  shall  soon  be  strong  and  well  again. 

"  We  are  getting  quite  full  here  now,  for  numbers  of  the 
native  Christians  are  coming  in  for  shelter.  Everyone  is 
told  off  to  do  something.  Jenny  is  to  help  serve  out  food  to 


IN   PEKIN  107 

the  women  and  children,  and  I  expect  that  I  shall  soon  be 
able  to  assist  also." 

"  Yes,  I  expect  we  shall  all  be  made  useful,"  said  Rex. 

"  Ah  Lo  has  come  up  too,  I  suppose  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  came  with  me  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  we  shall 
both  aid  in  the  defence." 

"  I  wish  I  were  a  boy,"  Jenny  said.  "  I  should  like  to  help 
kill  some  of  the  Boxers.  I  dare  say  a  good  many  of  those 
who  were  at  Chafui  have  come  here  and  will  be  among  those 
who  are  going  to  attack  us." 

"  You  .vill  be  just  as  useful  in  your  own  way,  Jenny,  as  if 
you  were  a  boy  and  could  carry  a  gun." 

"  You  must  give  us  each  a  pistol,  Rex,  so  that  if  they 
should  take  the  place  we  can  shoot  ourselves.  We  have  both 
made  up  our  minds  that  we  will  do  that  rather  than  fall  into 
their  hands  again.  You  don't  think  it  would  be  wicked  to  kill 
ourselves,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,  Jenny ;  but  in  the  first  place  I  don't  think 
that  there  is  much  chance  of  their  capturing  the  Legations, 
and  in  the  next  place  I  hope  that  if  they  did  so,  Ah  Lo  and  I 
should  be  able  to  get  you  out  again  in  disguise.  But  at  any 
rate  I  don't  think  you  need  have  any  fear.  There  are  four 
hundred  soldiers  here,  and  the  employees  of  all  the  Legations 
would  certainly  make  a  hundred  more.  Besides  these  there 
are  the  merchants  and  other  people,  and  I  expect  they  will 
form  a  corps  out  of  the  Christians  who  have  come  in.  Most 
of  these  Legations  are  strong  buildings,  and  it  will  be  hard 
if  we  cannot  beat  off  any  attack.  It  is  lucky  that  all  the 
Legations  lie  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other,  and  can 
all  be  defended  together.  When  I  leave  you  I  will  go  round 
and  see  what  has  been  done  to  fortify  them." 

He  stayed  chatting  with  them  for  another  half -hour,  and 
then  went  down  to  the  college. 


108  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  I  have  turned  up  again  like  a*bad  penny,  Sandwich,"  he 
said,  as  he  met  his  friend,  "  and  am  quartered  here." 

"  We  shall  all  be  heartily  glad  to  have  you  with  us,  and  I 
regard  you  and  your  man  as  a  valuable  reinforcement.  Have 
you  heard  that  this  morning  the  Boxers  have  begun  to  mas 
sacre  the  native  Christians?  I  believe  that  great  numbers 
have  been  killed." 

"  They  ought  all  to  have  come  in  here,"  Rex  said. 

"  No  doubt  we  should  have  done  the  best  we  could  for 
them,"  Sandwich  said,  "but  we  should  have  had  a  lot  of 
difficulty  in  feeding  ten  thousand  of  them.  Though  I  am 
awfully  sorry  for  the  poor  beggars,  their  presence  here  would 
scarcely  be  an  advantage,  for  they  would  hamper  us  terribly 
in  our  defence.  You  will  have  to  put  up  with  bad  cooking 
unless  some  of  these  Christians  that  are  coming  in  turn  out 
to  be  decent  cooks,  for  the  servants  and  coolies  are  all  leav 
ing.  You  should  see  Sergeant  Herring  talking  to  them  as 
they  go  out !  " 

Rex  laughed.  He  had  already  made  the  acquaintance  of 
the  sergeant,  who  had  been  twenty  years  at  the  Legation, 
and  who  was  in  general  control  of  its  arrangements.  He 
was  a  big  man,  with  a  powerful  voice  and  an  authoritative 
manner,  and  ruled  the  coolies  with  a  rod  of  iron.  He  was  a 
well-known  figure  in  the  city,  and  was  regarded  by  the  popu 
lace  as  being  only  less  important  than  the  ambassador  him 
self. 

"  I  can  quite  fancy  him,"  Rex  said,  "  and  how  the  coolies 
would  sneak  off  under  the  thunder  of  his  voice.  Well,  I 
should  say  that  we  are  just  as  well  rid  of  the  coolies.  I 
don't  suppose  they  could  have  been  relied  upon.  They  are 
not  like  the  native  Christians,  who,  knowing  that  their  lives 
are  forfeited  if  the  Boxers  get  in,  will  certainly  be  faithful 
even  if  they  are  not  very  useful.  By  the  way,  I  have  not 


IN  PEKIN  109 

brought  your  clothes  back.  I  came  up  in  a  suit  of  my  own 
under  my  disguise,  but  I  was  afraid  of  carrying  a  bundle. 
They  will  come  up,  then,  washed  and  ironed,  when  all  this 
is  over." 

Sandwich  laughed.  "  All  right,  Bateman !  I  sha'n't  be 
able  to  get  much  washing  done  now,  and  shall  hail  the  arrival 
of  a  clean  suit  when — that  is  a  very  vague  word — when  they 
come  up." 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  excuse  to  be  made  for  the  coolies 
and  servants.  They  were  almost  all  drawn  from  the  popula 
tion  of  Pekin,  and  their  families,  according  to  the  Chinese 
law,  would  assuredly  suffer  were  they  to  remain  at  the  Lega 
tion.  This  would  account  for  the  difference  between  their 
conduct  and  that  of  the  native  servants  in  the  Indian 
Mutiny,  for  these,  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  remained 
true  to  their  masters. 


CHAPTEK  VII 

FORTIFYING  THE   LEGATIONS 

"VTOW,  Sandwich,  tell  me  what  have  been  the  events  here 
^     so  far." 

"  Well,  things  have  been  gradually  getting  worse  since  you 
went  away.  It  is  difficult  to  say  what  was  the  first  act  of 
violence,  but  on  the  ninth  the  Boxers  burst  into  the  pavilion 
on  the  race-course  and  threatened  some  of  the  students,  one 
of  whom,  in  order  to  get  away,  had  to  shoot  a  man  with  his 
revolver.  On  the  tenth  the  Summer  Palace  of  the  Legation, 
on  the  hills,  was  burnt,  and  since  then  it  has  been  impossible 
to  go  beyond  the  town.  By  the  evening  of  the  eleventh  all 
the  whites  in  the  city  were  gathered  at  the  various  Legations, 
but  the  streets  were  still  crowded  with  people,  and  business 
went  on  as  usual  within  this  quarter.  The  Chinese  teachers 
in  the  British  Legation,  however,  all  struck,  the  coolies 
began  to  desert,  and  some  property  belonging  to  the  Roman 
Catholics  was  looted.  This  morning  the  outlook  was  still 
more  threatening.  Mysterious  marks  appeared  on  the  doors. 
A  party  of  Germans  and  Italians  raided  a  temple  where  the 
Boxers  were  said  to  be  drilling,  but  they  only  captured  a  few 
weapons  and  a  quantity  of  the  red  cord  which  the  Boxers  use 
as  girdles.  This  afternoon  things  looked  still  more  serious. 
Two  of  the  Legation  servants  were  cut  down  while  shopping, 
and  orders  were  given  to  clear  the  streets.  In  a  short  time 
all  the  shops  were  shut  and  the  crowd  cleared  out.  If  you  had 
arrived  yesterday  you  would  have  witnessed  the  usual  bustle 

no 


FOHTIFYIXG   THE    LEGATIONS  111 

instead  of  empty  streets.  Later  on  there  was  a  fire  in  the 
streets,  and  the  marines  turned  out,  but  it  proved  to  be  the 
French  clearing  the  s-treet  near  their  Legation.  At  night 
there  were  fires  in  many  parts — the  American  Mission,  the 
Eastern  Koman  Catholic  Cathedral,  and  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  were  all  in  flames,  and  to  the  east  there  must  have 
been  half  a  square  mile  of  shops  in  flames.  All  through  the 
evening  we  heard  firing  in  the  city. 

"  Still  later  a  large  party  of  Boxers,  carrying  torches, 
moved  down  towards  the  Austrian  Legation.  A  machine-gun 
mounted  on  the  wall  was  in.  readiness  for  them,  and  when 
they  came  within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  it  opened  fire. 
The  torches  were  immediately  dropped  and  the  Boxers  bolted. 
The  Austrians  turned  out  to  pick  up  the  dead,  whom  they 
expected  to  find  strewn  in  the  street,  but  not  a  single  one  was 
seen,  and  it  was  discovered  next  morning  that  the  bullets 
had  cut  some  telegraph  wires  where  they  crossed  the  street 
nearly  thirty  feet  above  the  level.  Of  course  we  had  a  good 
deal  of  laughing  about  it  this  morning,  but  it  was  a  very 
unlucky  affair.  Had  the  machine-gun  been  well  aimed  it 
would  have  done  great  execution,  for  the  Boxers  were  all 
crowded  together,  and  it  would  have  been  a  very  valuable 
lesson.  As  it  was,  however,  it  only  confirmed  the  Boxers  in 
their  belief  in  their  invulnerability. 

"  This  morning  we  heard  that  the  South  Cathedral  was 
on  fire.  That  takes  you  up  to  the  present  time.  Oh,  by 
the  way,  we  hear  that  the  tower  over  one  of  the  gates  has 
been  burnt." 

"  What  is  the  actual  line  we  hold  ?  " 

"Well,  at  present  it  goes  from  the  Tartar  wall  to  the 
Imperial  wall  by  the  side  of  the  French  Legation  and  the 
customs-house,  and  runs  from  the  north  bridge  along  by 
the  side  of  our  Legation  across  some  houses  to  the  Russian 


112  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

Legation,  and  then  by  the  side  of  that  across  Legation  Street 
to  the  Tartar  wall.  The  Americans  and  Russians  defend 
the  west  corner,  the  Germans  and  French  the  southeast,  the 
Austrians  the  northeast,  and  the  British  the  northwest.  Of 
course  the  thing  is  only  beginning  yet,  and  there  has  been 
no  organized  attack,  but  no  doubt  we  shall  have  plenty  of 
it  before  long." 

"  What  are  the  Chinese  authorities  doing  ? " 

"  They  occupy  themselves  principally  in  encouraging  the 
Boxers  in  every  way,  and  in  the  next  place  in  sending  in 
assurances  to  the  ambassadors  that  everything  is  perfectly 
peaceful  and  that  they  need  be  under  no  uneasiness  what 
ever.  At  the  same  time  Prince  Tuan,  the  head  and  patron 
of  the  Boxers,  has  been  appointed  to  the  head  of  the  Tsung- 
li-yamen,  which  is  equivalent,  you  know,  to  our  ministry. 
Several  of  the  moderate  members,  moreover,  have  been  turned 
out  of  it,  and  their  places  filled  by  creatures  of  Tuan.  I 
really  wonder  that  they  think  it  worth  while  to  keep  up  the 
farce  of  friendliness." 

"  Ah !  there  is  the  dinner-bell.  At  any  rate  we  can  for  the 
present  enjoy  our  meals;  we  may  not  have  much  to  enjoy  in 
that  way  presently." 

They  had  scarcely  sat  down  when  there  was  an  outbreak 
of  musketry  fire  and  a  call  for  reinforcements.  All  had 
brought  their  rifles  into  the  room  with  them,  and,  catching 
these  up,  they  ran  out.  The  fight  was  over,  however,  before 
they  got  to  the  scene.  It  was  upon  the  north  bridge  that 
the  sentries  had  been  firing.  A  party  of  Boxers  had  come 
down  from  that  direction,  and  after  a  volley  had  been  poured 
into  them,  had  charged,  but  had  fallen  back  on  receiving 
another,  leaving  two  of  their  number  dead  upon  the  ground. 
Two  wounded  also  were  taken  prisoners. 

During  the  night  they  were  several  times  aroused  by  the 


FORTIFYING   THE   LEGATIONS  113 

sounds  of  volley-firing,  but  as  these  were  not  followed  up, 
no  one  stirred.  They  learned  in  the  morning,  however,  that 
the  Boxers  had  come  down  from  all  the  various  roads  leading 
to  the  Legations,  but  had  retired  on  finding  that  they  were 
strongly  guarded. 

The  next  morning  the  Boxers  started  a  number  of  large 
fires  in  the  west,  and  as  reports  came  in  of  the  massacres  of 
Christians  in  that  quarter,  Dr.  Morrison,  the  Times  cor 
respondent,  got  together  a  relief  party,  who  went  out  and 
brought  in  a  large  convoy  of  refugees,  and  terrible  tales  of 
the  scenes  of  slaughter  that  they  had  witnessed. 

So  far  the  Ministers  had  done  nothing  to  save  these  un 
fortunate  people,  being  apparently  afraid  of  giving  the 
Chinese  Government  the  excuse  for  declaring  war  against 
them  for  their  interference  between  the  different  classes  of 
their  subjects,  and  for  the  present,  though  they  were  pro 
tected,  they  were  given  no  rations,  and  were  dependent  en 
tirely  on  what  small  supplies  they  brought  in  with  them,  or 
the  charity  of  the  merchants  and  traders.  Later  in  the  siege, 
however,  they  rendered  invaluable  service,  and  it  was  to  their 
zealous  labour  that  the  safety  of  the  Legations  was  finally 
due.  They  were  housed  in  Prince  Su's  palace,  which  was 
generally  called  the  Fu,  and  their  occupation  of  this  was  in 
itself  of  immense  service,  as  the  artificial  hills  in  its  grounds 
commanded  the  east  walls  of  the  British  Legation,  and  cov 
ered  the  Japanese  and  French  Legations  from  the  artillery 
fire  in  their  rear. 

After  breakfast  Rex,  Sandwich,  and  several  other  student) 
interpreters  went  round  the  whole  line  of  defence.  The 
barricades  were  extremely  weak  and  only  calculated  to  check 
for  a  moment  the  rush  of  the  enemy ;  they  consisted  merely  of 
Chinese  carts  turned  on  their  sides  across  the  road.  Beyond, 
however,  the  quiet  and  deserted  streets  spoke  eloquently  of 


114  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  threatened  danger.  Sentries  were  thrown  out  well  along 
these,  and  within  that  range  a  few  of  the  European  shops 
kept  their  doors  open,  and  officers  and  servants  of  the  Lega 
tions  went  out  and  bought  provisions.  No  great  effort  had 
been  made  to  gather  in  stores,  as  the  general  conviction  was 
that  Admiral  Seymour's  column  would  soon  be  up. 

The  next  day  a  fire  was  started  near  the  tower  known 
as  the  Chien  Men,  the  great  gate  leading  into  the  Chinese 
city.  It  began  in  a  shop  which  did  a  great  sale  in  foreign 
medicines,  and  spread  rapidly.  The  people  worked  hard  to 
carry  off  their  property  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  for  the  most 
part  conveyed  it  through  the  gate  and  stowed  it  away  in  a 
moat  which  was  at  that  time  dry.  The  whole  quarter  was 
soon  in  flames,  and  frequent  explosions  were  heard  as  the 
flames  reached  the  shops  stored  with  petroleum  and  fire 
works.  The  conflagration  raged  all  day.  Towards  five  o'clock 
the  fire  spread  to  two  small  arcades  running  through  the 
gates,  and  the  wooden  shops  blazed  up  furiously.  The  flames 
ultimately  reached  the  beams  supporting  the  roof  of  the 
tower,  and  in  a  short  time  the  whole  edifice  was  in  flames, 
presenting  a  splendid  spectacle. 

Rex  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  watching  the  fire,  and 
brought  his  cousins  out  to  look  at  it. 

"  Why  should  the  Chinese  wish  to  burn  their  own  town  ? " 
Mabel  asked. 

"  Simply  because  they  are  savage  brutes.  It  is  perfectly 
astounding  that  all  these  quiet  patient  shopkeepers  do  not 
fall  upon  the  Boxers  and  smash  them  up.  I  should  say  that 
millions  of  pounds  worth  of  damage  has  been  done  already, 
for  all  the  principal  trading  quarters  have  been  destroyed. 
One  can  understand  the  people  looking  on  placidly  while  the 
European  buildings  are  burnt,  but  when  it  comes  to  their  own 
houses  one  would  have  thought  that  the  most  peaceful  and 


FORTIFYING    THE    LEGATIONS  115 

quiet  people  would  be  excited  to  madness  and  would  attack 
with  fury  the  scoundrels  who  are  doing  all  this  damage.  I 
think  they  wrould  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  I  cannot  see 
what  the  Boxers  expect  to  gain  by  it.  At  present  they  are 
practically  doing  nothing  against  us,  and  are  simply  destroy 
ing  the  property  of  their  OWTII  people.  In  one  respect  they 
are  absolutely  benefiting  us,  for  they  are  making  a  great 
clearance  round  our  lines,  and  are  thereby  adding  to  our 
power  of  defence;  for  however  brave  the  Boxers  may  be  they 
will  hardly  face  our  rifles  across  that  open  space." 

All  this  time  the  attitude  of  the  Chinese  soldiers  was 
friendly.  Those  on  guard  at  the  Chieii  Men  did  not  interfere 
with  parties  of  sight-seers  who  went  out  there.  Occasionally 
they  were  seen  to  fire  at  the  Boxers,  and  although  there  were 
one  or  two  affrays  with  them  these  were  brought  on  by  the 
recklessness  of  the  Russians  and  Germans,  who  fired  upon 
them  without  any  reason. 

The  next  morning  Rex  saw  a  party  of  marines  with  a  few 
civilians  going  out  of  the  gate,  and  hearing  that  they  were  to 
attack  a  temple  in  which  the  Boxers  were  torturing  some 
Christians,  he  called  to  Ah  Lo  and  followed  them.  The  build 
ing  lay  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  Austrian  Legation.  They 
surrounded  the  place  and  effected  an  entrance,  when  they 
found  that  the  Boxers,  having  fastened  their  captives  to  the 
walls,  were  performing  incantations  preparatory  to  murder 
ing  them.  They  opened  fire  at  once.  The  Boxers  made  des 
perate  attempts  to  escape,  but  as  they  were  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides,  every  one  of  them  was  shot,  and  their  captives  were 
then  released  and  brought  into  the  Legations. 

The  Russians  were  that  day  busy  in  pulling  down  some 
houses  which  lay  near  their  Legation.  At  present  the  British 
authorities  were  still  in  doubt,  and  although  there  were  many 
houses  near  which  would  have  constituted  a  great  danger  to 


116  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  defence  had  they  been  fired,  no  attempt  was  made  to 
imitate  the  example  of  the  Russians. 

"  The  apathy  that  our  people  display  is  perfectly  astound 
ing,"  Rex  said  that  evening  as  the  students  were  chatting 
together.  "  Everyone  else,  as  far  as  I  see,  is  conscious  of 
the  tremendous  danger,  and  yet  Ministers  allow  themselves 
to  be  continually  humbugged  by  the  Empress  and  her  ad 
visers.  They  really  seem  to  be  inviting  disaster." 

"  It  certainly  is  remarkable,"  Sandwich  said.  "  We  shall 
be  lucky  indeed  if  we  don't  suffer  for  it.  Even  in  the  matter 
of  provisions  their  negligence  is  astonishing.  If  we  had  set 
to  work  at  once  when  the  danger  began  we  could  have 
brought  in  all  the  stores  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  round 
and  should  have  been  in  a  position  to  carry  on  the  siege  for 
three  months.  As  it  is  we  are  little  more  than  living  from 
hand  to  mouth,  and  if  the  streets  round  us  were  burned,  as 
those  by  the  Chien  Men  gate  were,  we  should  not  have  ten 
days*  provisions  left  in  the  place.  I  do  hope  that  the  Boxers 
will  make  so  earnest  an  attack  that  the  big-wigs  can  no  longer 
close  their  eyes  to  the  danger  of  the  situation.  Of  course 
it  is  heresy  for  us  to  say  so,  but  it  is  what  every  man  here, 
outside  the  official  circle,  thinks." 

"  Yes,"  another  said.  "  I  have  no  objection  to  any  amount 
of  fighting,  but  I  do  object  to  fight  on  an  empty  stomach 
when  there  is  no  reason  whatever  why  we  should  be  fasting. 
I  suppose  your  cousins  are  all  right,  Bateman  ? " 

"Yes,  they  are  quite  recovered  and  are  ready  for  any 
thing — to  load  as  we  fire,  or  to  exist  on  a  dry  crust.  You 
know  how  they  have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Boxers, 
and  they  will  go  through  anything  to  see  them  routed." 

"  Well,  there  is  one  comfort,"  another  put  in,  "  when  the 
Boxers  do  attack  us  in  force  there  can  be  no  more  shilly 
shallying.  The  ambassadors  must  see  then  that  we  have  to 


FORTIFYING   THE   LEGATIONS  117 

stand  a  siege,  and  will  have  to  make  an  effort  to  get  some 
provisions  in.  I  have  not  a  shadow  of  fear  that  we  shall  not 
be  able  to  beat  off  the  Boxers  and  regular  troops  too,  but  I 
am  afraid  of  hunger." 

"  So  am  I,"  Rex  agreed.  "  Two  ounces  of  bread  and  a 
drink  of  water  is  a  very  poor  regime  to  fight  on.  Thank 
goodness  we  have  plenty  of  wells  in  the  Legations,  and  shall 
not  have  thirst  to  fight  against ;  but  water  pure  and  simple  is 
a  pretty  poor  diet." 

Sunday  the  seventeenth  passed  quietly,  except  that  there 
was  a  fight  between  the  Germans  and  the  Chinese  regular 
troops,  for  which  the  former  were  to  blame.  The  next  day  a 
courier  arrived  from  Tientsin  with  the  news  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral  there  had  been  burnt  down.  No  news  had 
come  of  the  relief  force,  and  there  was  a  general  feeling  of 
disquietude  concerning  it.  On  Tuesday  a  man  who  had  been 
sent  off  with  letters  to  Tientsin  returned,  saying  that  he  had 
been  unable  to  make  his  way  through.  The  day  passed  tran 
quilly;  everyone  was  still  discussing  the  expected  arrival  of 
the  admiral,  and  fears  began  to  be  entertained  for  the  first 
time  that  he  might  fail  to  reach  Pckin,  or  that,  even  if  he  did, 
he  might  not  be  able  to  fight  his  way  out  again,  cumbered 
as  he  would  be  by  the  non-combatants  from  all  the  Lega 
tions.  The  barricades,  however,  were  being  gradually 
strengthened,  and  supplies  could  still  be  bought  from  the 
shops  round  them. 

As  evening  approached  it  was  reported  that  the  Ministers 
were  about  to  hold  a  council,  and  it  leaked  out  that  an  ulti 
matum  had  been  received  from  the  Tsung-li-yamen,  calling 
upon  them  to  leave  the  city  the  next  day,  as  the  allies  had 
threatened  to  take  the  Taku  Forts.  The  question  was  dis 
cussed  at  the  gathering,  and  the  feeling  was  unanimously 
against  going.  All  felt  that  no  confidence  whatever  could  be 


118  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

placed  in  any  undertaking  the  Chinese  might  give  to  protect 
the  convoy  on  its  way  down.  If  they  were  to  decide  on  retir 
ing  they  would  require  a  large  number  of  carts  to  carry  food, 
for  they  could  not  possibly  now  desert  the  native  Christians, 
and  with  only  six  or  seven  hundred  men  to  protect  the  long 
line,  it  was  morally  certain  that  the  whole  would  be  mas 
sacred  on  the  way  down.  The  council  agreed,  therefore,  that 
it  was  better  for  the  Europeans  to  stay  and  defend  them 
selves  to  the  last  than  to  place  the  smallest  confidence 
in  the  sincerity  of  the  Chinese  or  their  promises  of  an 
escort. 

There  was  a  general  feeling  of  relief  throughout  the  Lega 
tions  when  it  became  known  that  the  Ministers  had  answered 
guardedly.  Their  reply,  indeed,  was  simply  an  enquiry  as  to 
what  amount  of  transport  would  be  supplied,  and  what  would 
be  the  strength  of  the  escort.  They  were  not  aware  that 
Admiral  Seymour  was  retreating  at  the  time,  and  that  the 
Taku  Forts  had  been  already  captured. 

The  next  morning  the  Ministers  met  again.  No  message 
had  been  received  from  the  yamen,  and  the  German  Minister 
set  out  with  only  his  secretary  and  a  couple  of  Chinese  ser 
vants  to  go  to  the  yamen  and  ask  for  their  reply.  On  the  way 
he  was  attacked  and  killed,  and  his  secretary  was  wounded. 
Although  the  loss  of  life  was  to  be  regretted,  the  affair  was 
in  one  respect  a  most  fortunate  one,  for  it  showed  the  Minis 
ters  how  critical  their  position  was.  It  was  clear  now  that 
if  the  life  of  one  of  the  Ministers  on  his  way  to  the  courts 
was  not  respected,  even  the  most  timid  could  no  longer  place 
the  smallest  confidence  in  the  promises  of  the  Empress  and 
her  counsellors.  The  situation  was  at  once  changed.  There 
was  no  longer  any  hesitation,  no  longer  any  feeble  hope  in 
the  promises  of  the  Chinese  Ministers;  there  was  nothing 
to  do  but  to  fight,  and  at  once  the  apathy  that  had  come  over 


FORTIFYING    THE    LEGATIONS  119 

the  Legations  was  at  an  end.  Nothing  was  thought  of  but  de 
fence. 

The  whole  strength  of  the  Legations  was  now  employed  in 
building  strong  barricades  and  in  collecting  stores.  The  first 
was  important,  the  second  even  more  so.  Those  searching 
for  stores  met  with  unexpected  good  luck.  Two  of  the  three 
foreign  stores  lay  within  the  line  of  defence,  and  all  the  pro 
visions  in  the  third  were  speedily  brought  in.  The  searchers 
came  upon  a  large  wheat-shop  crammed  with  grain,  a  large 
store  of  fodder  was  found  within  the  line,  and  in  many  other 
shops  large  or  small  stores  of  provisions  and  eatables  were 
discovered  and  secured.  A  store  of  coal  was  also  discovered, 
and  all  through  the  day  provisions  were  brought  in  in  carts 
or  by  hand.  From  all  the  other  Legations  the  people  began 
to  pour  in,  as  it  was  decided  that  the  British  Legation  was 
the  most  defensible,  and  must  be  the  rallying-place.  This 
building  presented  a  wonderful  scene  of  confusion.  Minis 
ters,  their  secretaries  and  servants,  civilians,  sisters  from  the 
mission,  a  few  European  traders  and  merchants  all  mingled 
together,  talking  in  half  a  dozen  languages. 

The  American  mission  brought  in  with  them  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  Christians,  who  were  placed  in  the  Fu; 
seventy  missionaries  were  encamped  in  the  little  chapel;  the 
Legation  students  moved  their  beds  into  their  mess-room,  and 
gave  up  their  quarters  to  the  visitors;  the  second  secretary's 
house  was  given  u'p  to  the  Kussians,  and  the  doctor's  to  the 
Americans.  Every  room  in  the  Legations  was  closely 
packed,  and  many  took  up  their  quarters  under  the  numer 
ous  verandas.  Four  American  ladies  were  lodged  in  the 
room  hitherto  occupied  by  Rex's  cousins,  and  the  girls  were 
greatly  interested  in  the  crowd  and  bustle,  which  was  all 
novel  and  strange  to  them  after  their  quiet  life  in  the  mis 
sion-house  at  Chafui.  The  ball-room  of  the  Minister's  house 


120  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

was  given  up  to  the  ladies,  and  their  beds  were  so  closely 
packed  that  it  resembled  a  great  hospital.  The  military  offi 
cials  were  encamped  in  tents,  while  many  others  were  pre 
pared  to  sleep  in  the  open  air.  Boxes,  bundles,  and  bales 
vrere  piled  and  scattered  everywhere.  Some  people,  while 
working  actively,  laughed  and  joked,  others  sat  disconsolate 
and  miserable.  All  the  unemployed  men  at  the  Legation 
worked  hard  helping  the  immigrants  and  trying  to  effect  a 
semblance  of  order. 

Four  o'clock  was  the  hour  at  which  the  ultimatum  expired, 
and  exactly  at  that  hour  firing  began,  and  one  man  was 
killed  and  another  wounded.  The  artillery  available  for  the 
defence  was  absurdly  small;  the  Italians  had  a  one-pounder, 
the  Americans  a  Colt,  the  Austrians  a  machine-gun,  and  the 
British  an  old  Nordenfeldt,  which  could  not  be  relied  upon 
to  fire  a  half  dozen  shots  without  jamming.  The  supply  of 
rifle  ammunition  was  also  exceedingly  meagre;  the  Japanese 
had  but  one  hundred  rounds  apiece,  the  Italians  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty,  the  Russians  one  hundred  and  forty-five, 
while  the  French,  Germans,  and  British  had  from  this  up  to 
three  hundred. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  marines  had  captured 
and  driven  in  small  flocks  of  sheep  and  three  or  four  cows. 
The  garrison  had,  however,  to  depend  for  meat  principally 
upon  the  ponies  and  mules  belonging  to  the  officers  of  the 
various  Legations  and  the  merchants  and  missionaries.  Of 
these  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  tied  up  in 
various  parts  of  the  Legation.  In  other  respects  the  pro 
visions  that  had  been  collected — wheat  and  rice,  groceries 
of  all  sorts,  wines  and  spirits — were  sufficient  to  supply  the 
whole  occupants  of  the  Legations  for  a  considerable  time. 

Now  that  the  suspense  was  at  an  end  and  they  knew  what 
was  before  them,  all  went  about  their  work  with  brightened 


FORTIFYING   THE    LEGATIONS  121 

faces  and  an  air  of  energy  and  determination  that  had 
for  weeks  been  wanting.  If  a  stranger  had  looked  in 
upon  them  he  would  hardly  have  guessed  that  the  die 
had  just  been  cast  and  that  the  issue  was  battle,  and  battle 
against  overpowering  odds.  All  were  ready  to  meet  the 
worst. 

Directly  after  the  first  outburst  of  firing  it  was  reported 
that  the  Austrians  had,  for  no  apparent  reason,  abandoned 
their  Legation  without  an  attempt  at  defence.  Though 
within  the  line  of  defence,  the  Austrian  Legation  was  a  sep 
arate  outpost;  but  its  abandonment  necessitated  the  with 
drawal  of  men  from  the  customs-house,  which  lay  behind  it, 
and  was  a  strong  and  well-constructed  building.  All  the 
customs  staff  were  therefore  ordered  to  retire  to  the  British 
Legation,  and  at  the  same  time  the  British  advance  post  on 
the  north  bridge  across  the  canal  between  our  Legation  and 
the  Fu  had  to  be  called  in.  All  this  caused  the  day  which 
had  been  so  bright  and  hopeful  to  end  with  a  feeling  of 
depression. 

Rex  had  been  busy  all  day  bringing  in  and  piling  stores 
and  turning  his  hand  to  work  of  all  kinds.  In  the  evening 
he  went  in  and  had  a  chat  with  the  girls. 

"  We  are  all  glad,"  he  said,  "  that  it  has  been  settled  at 
last  that  we  are  to  stay  here  and  fight.  The  murder  of  the 
German  Minister  was  the  very  best  thing  that  could  happen 
to  us,  for  it  opened  the  eyes  of  all  the  others,  and  showed 
them  that  the  Chinese  were,  as  everyone  else  knew,  wholly 
untrustworthy.  We  really  were  afraid  yesterday  that  the 
Ministers  would  accept  the  Chinese  offer  to  send  an  escort 
down  with  us.  If  they  had  done  so,  it  is  absolutely  certain 
that  none  of  us  would  ever  have  reached  Tientsin.  As  it  is, 
we  all  believe  that  we  can  hold  out  for  a  month  at  least,  and 
perhaps  a  good  bit  longer.  You  may  be  sure  that  every 


122  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

nation  will  spare  no  effort  to  gather  a  force  sufficient  for  our 
relief. 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  we  have  not  a  better  stock  of  ammuni 
tion.  If  there  is  fighting  every  day,  three  hundred  rounds, 
which  is  all  the  most  fully-supplied  have  got,  will  not  go 
very  far,  and  ammunition  is  a  thing  we  cannot  manufacture. 
I  doubt,  however,  whether  the  Chinese  will  attack  us  in 
earnest,  and  I  am  certain  that  if  they  do,  we  shall  repulse 
them  as  long  as  ammunition  holds  out,  and  even  after  that 
we  shall  make  a  pretty  stiff  fight  with  the  bayonets  and 
other  weapons.  At  any  rate,  girls,  it  will  be  a  long  while 
before  I  have  to  tell  you  to  put  on  your  native  dresses  again, 
and  before  I  begin  to  look  out  for  some  quiet  spot  on  the 
walls  where  I  can  let  you  down  when  the  defence  is  finally 
over." 

"  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,"  said  Jenny,  u  I  have  no 
doubt  you  will  rescue  us  somehow.  We  have  absolute  faith 
in  you  and  Ah  Lo.  I  shall  do  whatever  you  tell  us  without 
hesitation." 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  leave  nothing  undone  to 
secure  your  safety,  but  we  won't  think  of  that  for  a  long 
time  yet." 

Next  day  it  was  found  that  the  Belgian  embassy  had  been 
burnt  down  in  the  night.  As  it  was  some  distance  from  the 
rest,  however,  the  destruction  was  of  no  consequence.  It  was 
now  decided  that  the  semicircular  barricade  in  front  of  the 
entrance  to  the  Legation  should  be  strengthened  and  the  Nor- 
denfeldt  placed  upon  it  in  such  a  position  as  to  command  the 
roads  by  the  side  of  the  canal  to  the  north  bridge.  To  enable 
the  gun  to  do  its  work  properly,  however,  it  was  necessary 
that  a  line  of  young  trees  by  the  side  of  the  canal  should  be 
cut  down.  This  was  a  particularly  dangerous  operation,  for 
a  party  of  Boxers  had  established  themselves  behind  the 


FORTIFYING   THE   LEGATIONS  123 

bridge,  and  were  ready  to  pick  off  anyone  who  approached  the 
trees.  The  Japanese,  however,  had  built  a  brick  bar  across 
the  road  on  their  side  of  the  canal,  and  the  guard  there 
managed  to  some  extent  to  keep  down  the  fire  of  the  Boxers, 
while  the  man  who  had  volunteered  to  cut  down  the  trees 
bravely  proceeded  to  carry  out  this  work.  He  was  a  powerful 
man,  and  refused  all  assistance.  He  accomplished  his  task 
without  being  hit,  though  he  several  times  had  marvellous 
escapes ;  but  unfortunately,  two  days  later,  he  was  killed 
while  engaged  on  similar  service  at  another  point. 

By  this  time  things  were  settling  down  a  little  in  the 
British  Legation,  where  nearly  the  whole  of  the  fugitives 
from  outside  and  the  members  of  the  other  Legations  were 
assembled.  A  general  committee  was  organized,  at  the  head 
of  which  were  several  very  energetic  civilians.  This  was 
divided  into  several  sub-committees,  each  charged  with  a 
particular  class  of  work.  Some  attended  to  the  sanitary  ar 
rangements,  others  to  the  more  equitable  distribution  of 
the  available  space;  some  undertook  the  commissariat 
arrangements,  others  the  maintaining  of  the  barricades.  All 
the  ladies  in  the  Legation  were  now  employed  in  sewing 
sand-bags.  The  available  canvas  was  speedily  used  up,  and 
other  materials  had  to  be  impressed:  sheets,  curtains,  and 
hangings  of  all  kinds,  table-linen,  old  dresses,  pillow-cases, 
and  in  fact  every  article  that  could  possibly  be  applied  for 
such  a  purpose.  Parties  of  coolies  opened  a  road  through  the 
south  wall  of  the  British  Legation  and  the  intervening 
houses  into  the  lane  at  the  back  of  the  Russian  Legation,  so 
that  the  Americans  and  Russians  could  have  easy  access 
to  the  British  Legation,  and  could  retire  into  it  if  unable  to 
maintain  themselves. 

A. party  of  volunteers  set  to  work,  and  built  a  brick  wall  in 
place  of  the  wooden  balustrade  on  the  upper  veranda  of  the 


124  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

First  Secretary's  house.  This  was  a  large  building,  and 
offered  a  fine  mark  to  the  Chinese  on  the  Tartar  wall,  who 
had  indeed  rendered  it  quite  uninhabitable. 

The  bell-tower  of  the  Legation  was  now  made  the  head 
quarters  of  the  municipal  government.  Here  the  names  of 
the  members  of  the  committees  were  posted,  and  all  therefore 
knew  to  whom  they  could  apply  for  any  sort  of  work  for 
which  they  were  fitted.  Notices  were  also  posted  containing 
scraps  of  news,  translations  of  edicts,  etc.  This  spot,  there 
fore,  became  the  general  rendezvous.  The  tower  stood  at  the 
junction  of  four  roads,  all  shaded  with  trees,  and  was  only 
once  struck  during  the  siege. 

Rex  was  at  work  from  morning  .till  night,  now  carrying 
sand-bags,  or  building  entrenchments,  now  distributing  food, 
or  taking  his  place  with  Ah  Lo  at  some  point  which  the 
Chinese  were  attacking  and  endeavouring  to  drive  them  off. 
Whatever  he  did  Ah  Lo  was  by  his  side,  and  the  Chinaman's 
great  strength  was  invariably  of  considerable  value. 

One  of  the  greatest  privations  which  the  besieged  suffered 
at  first  was  want  of  water.  The  Legation  was  amply  supplied 
for  ordinary  wants,  but  it  was  feared  that  the  immense  extra 
demand  would  cause  the  wells  to  run  short.  Happily  the 
rains  were  very  heavy,  and  when  it  was  found  that  the  level 
of  the  water  was  maintained,  the  regulations  as  to  supply 
became  less  stringent,  and  though  little  could  be  had  for 
washing  there  was  no  lack  of  drinking  water. 

The  hospital  was  one  of  the  first  things  organized.  At 
present  the  number  of  wounded  and  sick  was  small,  but  it 
was  certain  to  increase  rapidly.  At  the  head  was  Dr.  Poole 
of  the  British  Legation,  and  Dr.  Velde  of  the  German. 
There  were  two  or  three  lady  doctors  who  had  come  in  with 
the  missionaries,  a  few  regular  nurses,  and  any  number  of 
volunteers.  At  present,  however,  there  was  small  need  for 


FORTIFYING   THE    LEGATIONS  125 

their  services,  as  there  were  but  five  or  six  invalids  to  be 
attended  to. 

On  the  twenty-second  there  was  a  terrible  alarm,  for  the 
guards  of  all  the  other  Legations  poured  in  suddenly.  As 
the  attack  had  not  seemed  to  be  specially  severe,  this  for  a 
time  was  unaccountable,  but  it  appeared  that  the  retiral  had 
been  made  by  order  of  Captain  Thomann,  the  senior  officer. 
The  Ministers  hastily  met;  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  chief  command,  and  orders  were  at  once  issued 
for  the  guards  to  return  immediately  to  their  posts.  Had  the 
Chinese  known  that  the  Legations  had  all  been  abandoned 
they  could  have  occupied  them  without  resistance,  and  the 
result  would  have  been  a  terrible  disaster. 

On  that  day  the  besieged  learned  that  one  of  their  greatest 
dangers  was  fire.  At  three  points  the  British  Legation  was 
particularly  exposed  to  this  danger.  On  the  north  the 
Hanlin  Academy,  which  contained  a  magnificent  collection 
of  Chinese  manuscripts,  many  of  great  age,  was  separated 
from  the  wall  of  the  Legation  where  the  stables  were  situ 
ated,  and  the  out-buildings  of  the  Minister's  house,  by  a 
narrow  lane  only  a  few  feet  wide.  Behind  the  Chinese  secre 
tary's  house,  which  adjoined  the  wall,  were  several  native 
buildings,  while  the  southeast  corner  of  the  Legation  was 
threatened  in  a  similar  way.  These  houses  were  all  built  in 
quadrangular  form,  and  the  central  courtyard  was  covered 
in  summer  by  a  mat  roof.  At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the 
Boxers  fired  one  of  these  sheds.  The  flames  leapt  up  fiercely, 
and  the  secretary's  house  became  at  once  involved.  There 
was  a  general  rush  to  the  spot,  and  men  dashed  into  the 
kitchens  and  outhouses  adjoining  the  wall  and  began  to 
strip  down  all  the  woodwork,  and  to  carry  out  everything 
portable,  the  Chinese  meanwhile  keeping  upon  them  a  haras 
sing  fire  from  every  available  point. 


126  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

The  moment  the  work  was  done  and  the  danger  over,  vol 
unteers  hurried  off  to  demolish  the  buildings  adjoining  the 
south  stables,  and,  working  far  into  the  night,  succeeded  in 
doing  so.  It  was  not  thought  that  any  real  danger  could 
arise  from  the  Hanlin,  which  was  considered  sacred  by  the 
Chinese,  as  it  was  full  of  memorial  and  literary  tablets.  It 
contained  the  finest  library  in  the  empire,  and  was  the  re 
pository  of  the  state  records.  At  the  same  time  it  was 
thought  prudent  to  open  a  passage  through  the  lane  into 
the  building  in  order  to  prevent  its  being  occupied  by  the 
Chinese. 

Captain  Poole  called  upon  Rex  and  a  few  others  to  join  him 
in  the  work.  They  had  only  just  begun  when  someone  ran 
up  to  them  with  the  news  that  smoke  was  issuing  from  the 
building.  They  worked  desperately.  The  danger  was  great, 
for  a  strong  wind  was  blowing.  A  body  of  marines  was  at 
once  called  up,  and  a  hole  having  been  knocked  through  the 
wall  of  the  building  they  poured  in.  Fighting  sharply  they 
drove  the  Boxers  from  the  building,  and  then  endeavoured 
to  extinguish  the  fire,  but  in  vain.  All  then  set  to  work  to 
prevent  the  fire  from  spreading  to  the  buildings  of  the  Le 
gation.  Water  was  brought  up,  buildings  demolished,  trees 
cut  down.  Fortunately  the  wind  at  this  moment  fell,  and 
although  the  backs  of  the  outhouses  and  stables  were  charred 
and  blackened,  they  did  not  catch  fire.  The  great  hall  was 
occupied  as  soon  as  the  fire  burnt  down,  and  a  wall  having 
been  built  to  cut  off  from  the  ruins,  it  was  held  till  the 
end  of  the  siege.  Thus  the  efforts  of  the  Chinese  to  bring 
about  the  destruction  of  the  besieged  only  left  them  stronger 
than  before. 

While  the  inmates  of  the  British  Legation  had  been  thus 
occupied,  other  fires  were  raging,  one  near  the  French  and 
another  near  the  American  Legation.  At  the  latter  the 


FORTIFYING    THE    LEGATIONS  127 

Kusso-Chinese  Bank  was  fired,  and  the  Americans,  aided  by 
Chinese  Christians,  had  desperate  work  to  save  the  Legation. 
All  the  houses  in  Legation  Street,  from  this  point  to  the 
Chien  Men,  were  destroyed. 

All  next  day  firing  was  maintained  heavily  from  every 
possible  point.  The  Boxers  kept  up  a  continuous  fire,  to 
which  our  men  replied  but  slowly,  as  the  orders  against  waste 
of  r.mnmiiitioii  were  very  stringent,  everyone  being  forbidden 
to  fire  unless  he  could  clearly  see  his  man.  On  this  day  the 
Chinese  began  shell-fire  with  the  gun  that  they  had  mounted 
at  the  Chien  Men.  The  American  Legation  was  struck  once, 
the  German  several  times,  but  for  the  most  part  the  shells 
fiew  overhead. 

As  it  was  evident  that  if  the  Chinese  planted  guns 
on  the  Tartar  wall  they  would  command  the  whole  of  the 
Legations,  the  Americans  and  Germans,  who  were  nearest 
to  the  wall,  went  out  to  seize  it.  They  were  very  stoutly 
opposed,  but  they  advanced  steadily,  firing  volleys  which 
effected  terrible  destruction  among  the  Chinese  gathered 
there,  and  pushed  on  until  they  came  to  a  barricade  on 
which  two  guns  were  mounted  in  a  position  too  strong  to  be 
attacked  by  so  small  a  force.  They  occupied  the  wall,  how 
ever,  along  the  whole  line  fronting  the  two  Legations,  erected 
a  barricade  on  it  behind  the  American  Legation,  and  another 
beyond  the  German  Legation.  In  order  to  accomplish  this 
they  made  such  a  demand  for  sand-bags  that  the  bell  which 
was  ringing  for  service,  for  it  was  Sunday,  was  stopped  and 
everyone  set  to  work  to  make  them.  Just  as  the  work  began 
the  alarm-bell  rang  out.  A  fire  had  broken  out  near  the 
south  stables.  Some  of  the  houses  at  this  point  had  been 
destroyed  two  days  before,  but  many  were  still  standing. 
There  was  a  large  house  in  the  stable-yard.  This  had  origi 
nally  been  built  for  the  use  of  the  escort,  but  had  been 


128  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

handed  over  to  the  consular  students,  who,  having  grown 
too  numerous  for  the  accommodation,  were  in  their  turn 
superseded  by  the  missionaries.  The  missionaries,  however, 
had  occupied  it  but  a  short  time,  as  the  upper  stories  had 
been  handed  over  to  the  marine  guard.  It  was  a  dangerous 
position,  for  near  it  was  situated  a  market  known  as  the 
Mongol  Market,  and  from  the  houses  on  the  opposite  side  of 
this  the  enemy  kept  up  a  constant  fire. 

To  the  left  of  the  escort  house  was  a  gate  in  the  wall  lead 
ing  to  the  market,  which  was  principally  used  for  the  sale  of 
firewood  and  fodder.  From  this  gate  the  houses  extended 
along  the  wall  as  far  as  the  Temple,  which  had  been  pulled 
down  a  few  days  before.  The  enemy  set  fire  to  these  houses, 
but  it  was  round  the  wall  that  the  battle  was  serious.  The 
enemy  had  advanced  close  to  the  walls,  and,  setting  up  their 
flag  there,  poured  a  continuous  stream  of  bullets  into  the 
burning  house,  and  especially  against  the  door.  Had  this 
fallen  they  would  have  been  able  to  fire  straight  into  the 
yard.  Volunteers  rushed  up  and  began  to  pull  down  the 
stables  nearest  to  the  door,  and  to  build  up  a  wall  some  eight 
feet  thick  behind  it.  The  door  was  already  on  fire.  Some 
deluged  it  with  water,  others  worked  in  the  smoke  to  build 
the  wall.  Captain  Halliday  and  a  party  of  marines  went  out 
by  the  breach  in  the  wall  on  the  north  and  charged  through 
the  burning  houses  to  clear  out  the  enemy.  This  he  suc 
ceeded  in  doing,  although  he  was  himself  seriously  wounded, 
and  in  three  hours  the  danger  was  past.  The  attack,  how 
ever,  had  been  of  great  advantage  to  the  besieged,  for  the 
Chinese  had  destroyed  all  the  buildings  adjoining  the  Le 
gations,  and~  had  in  a  few  days  accomplished  what  must 
otherwise  have  been  done  by  the  defenders  at  the  cost  of 
enormous  labour. 

From  that  time  forward,  although  they  were  exposed  to 


FORTIFYING   THE    LEGATIONS  129 

great  danger  at  times,  the  garrison  was  free  from  any 
anxiety  about  fire. 

The  next  day  was  comparatively  quiet.  The  lower  veranda 
of  the  First  Secretary's  house  needed  barricading,  for  several 
bullets  had  made  their  way  in.  That  morning  two  of  the 
ponies  which  had  been  shot  there  during  the  night  were  cut 
up  and  distributed.  This  was  the  first  experience  the  be 
sieged  had  of  pony-meat,  and  at  first  they  tasted  it  with  con 
siderable  doubt.  Henceforth,  however,  it  became  the  regular 
fare,  and  was  received  with  general  approval.  It  made  ex 
cellent  soup,  and  though,  when  cooked  in  a  joint,  it  was  apt 
to  be  hard,  it  was  very  good  with  curry  or  rissoles. 

In  the  afternoon  the  firing  suddenly  ceased  and  a  man 
bearing  a  white  flag  took  his  place  on  the  north  bridge,  with  a 
board  on  which  was  written  in  Chinese :  "  Imperial  com 
mand:  To  protect  the  Ministers  and  stop  firing;  a  despatch 
will  be  sent  to  the  bridge  of  the  canal." 

This  caused  great  excitement.  Some  suggested  that  the 
reinforcements  might  be  at  last  at  hand,  others  thought  that 
it  was  a  trap  to  throw  us  off  our  guard.  The  experienced 
were  of  opinion  that  it  was  merely  a  sign  of  the  vacillation 
that  existed  among  the  Empress  and  her  advisers,  and  that 
Prince  Ching  and  Jung  Lu  had  for  the  moment  got  the 
upper  hand  and  persuaded  the  Empress  of  the  madness  of 
the  course  that  was  being  taken.  The  day  went  on,  however, 
and  no  despatch  was  sent  in.  The  time  was  employed  in 
strengthening  barricades.  The  Chinese,  too,  made  good  use 
of  the  interval  by  erecting  a  barricade  across  Legation  Street, 
facing  that  adjoining  the  Russian  and  American  Legations. 
At  midnight  a  tremendous  fire  was  opened  on  the  Legations 
from  all  sides.  Shells  frequently  passed  overhead,  and  the 
Legations  were  swept  by  a  hail  of  bullets.  Everyone  was  up 
and  ready  to  repel  an  attack,  but  none  was  made,  and  after 


130  WITH    THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

an  hour  the  fire  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun.  It  was 
evident  that  the  war  party  were  again  in  the  ascendant. 

All  sorts  of  reports  were  current  the  next  day.  The  be 
sieged  had  learned  that  the  Taku  Forts  were  captured  on  the 
eighteenth,  and  they  began  to  'calculate  that  the  relieving 
force  might  arrive  on  the  twenty-eighth. 

Everywhere  the  native  Christians  worked  unremittingly  at 
the  barricades,  which  were  now  so  strengthened  as  to  be  very 
formidable  obstacles  to  an  attack.  Orders  were  issued  that 
bomb-proof  shelters  should  be  formed,  and  that  the  inmates 
of  each  house  should  construct  them  for  themselves.  Pits 
were  dug  out  to  a  depth  of  four  feet;  these  were  roofed  in 
with  timbers  on  which  earth  was  piled  to  a  depth  of  some 
feet.  Many  of  these  shelters  were  completed,  but  the  ladies 
almost  unanimously  agreed  that  they  would  prefer  to  run 
the  risk  of  shells  rather  than  bury  themselves  in  such  holes, 
for  the  tremendous  rains  that  came  on  occasionally  almost 
flooded  the  ground,  and,  running  in  at  the  entrances  to  the 
pits,  converted  the  floors  into  sheets  of  liquid  mud. 

Rex  managed  every  day  to  get  half  an  hour's  chat  with  his 
cousins.  They  were  both  employed  as  assistants  in  the  hos 
pital  kitchen,  carrying  the  soups,  broth,  and  other  food  to  the 
patients,  of  whom  there  were  now  some  thirty  or  forty. 
These,  thanks  to  the  excellent  medical  attention,  nursing,  and 
cooking,  were  almost  without  exception  doing  well,  and 
during  the  whole  siege  there  was  no  single  death  due  to 
disease  generated  by  foul  air  or  septic  conditions. 

The  girls  were  both  cheerful  and  enjoyed  their  work. 
Being  the  assistants  of  the  lady  who  superintended  and  for 
the  most  part  carried  out  the  cooking,  they  occasionally  got 
a  share  of  dainty  dishes  which  were  sent  back  untasted,  and 
so  fared  better  than  the  majority.  Their  work  allowed  them 
but  little  time  for  thought  or  anxiety,  and  their  only  fear  was 


FORTIFYING    THE    LEGATIONS  131 

that  Kex  might  be  wounded ;  but  as  they  saw  him  coming  in 
every  day  fresh  and  cheerful,  even  this  fear  gradually  died 
out.  His  stories  of  the  siege  amused  them,  especially  his  ac 
counts  of  the  different  ways  in  which  different  people  took 
their  misfortunes:  some  being  always  cheerful  and  ready  to 
make  fun  of  everything,  while  others  grumbled  at  every 
petty  hardship,  and  seemed  to  consider  themselves  as  specially 
injured  by  the  whole  proceedings. 

Rex  himself  had  only  had  to  fight  on  two  or  three  occa 
sions,  for  the  barriers  were  all  held  by  the  marines  and 
guards  of  the  various  Legations,  while  the  civilians,  although 
formed  into  corps,  and  ready  in  case  of  attack  to  rush  to  any 
threatened  point,  had  so  far  not  been  called  upon  for  service. 
At  night,  however,  they  took  turns  to  keep  watch  at  ex 
posed  positions,  and  during  the  day  worked  at  whatever  might 
be  most  required.  The  students  were  formed  into  a  corps  by 
themselves,  and  Rex  acted  with  them.  They  occupied  a 
crowded  quarter,  but  were  full  of  life  and  spirit,  made  light 
of  their  work,  and  at  night  formed  quite  a  merry  party. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  very  hard  worked,  Rex,"  Jenny  said 
one  day. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  he  replied.  "  My  hands  were  very  much 
blistered  the  first  two  or  three  days,  but  they  have  got  hard 
now,  and  my  back  has  quite  forgotten  how  to  ache.  As  far 
as  I  am  concerned  I  quite  enjoy  it,  and  I  could  not  be  living 
among  a  better  set  of  fellows." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  get  harder  work  shortly,  but  up  to 
the  present  time  there  have  been  very  few  casualties." 

"  It  is  quite  certain  now  that  we  have  regular  troops  fight 
ing  against  us ;  that  is  shown  by  their  new  method  of  attack. 
Instead  of  making  an  onset  on  one  point  at  a  time,  they  now 
assail  us  from  all  points  simultaneously.  The  fires  all  took 
place  on  the  same  day,  and  that  tremendous  bombardment 


132  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

two  nights  ago  began  all  round  at  the  same  moment.  That 
can't  be  the  work  of  the  Boxers." 

"  Then  it  will  be  more  serious  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  know  that  it  will  be  much  more  serious, 
except  that  no  doubt  they  will  bring  up  their  cannon  and 
plant  them  closer  than  they  are  now.  But  this  develop 
ment  shows  that  Prince  Tung's  party  has  not  got  the  entire 
control  over  the  Empress.  A  proclamation  has  been  stuck 
up  at  the  tower  to-day  appointing  several  Chinese  generals 
to  the  command  of  the  Boxers.  It  is  certain  now  that  we 
have  got  to  depend  entirely  upon  ourselves.  It  is  also  cer 
tain  that  Seymour  has  either  been  annihilated  or  obliged  to 
fall  back.  I  consider  it  absurd  to  calculate  that,  now  that 
the  Taku  Forts  have  fallen,  an  army  will  come  up  from  the 
coast  and  arrive  here  in  a  few  days.  After  the  now  certain 
failure  of  Seymour's  expedition  it  is  evident  that  a  much 
stronger  column  must  be  employed,  and  such  a  force  can 
hardly  have  been  gathered  yet.  Then  the  railway,  which 
has  no  doubt  been  destroyed  between  Tientsin  and  the  sea, 
will  have  to  be  repaired.  As  we  know  that  the  cathedral 
at  that  place  has  been  burnt,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  settlement  has  been  besieged.  The  Boxers  there  are 
probably  in  great  force,  and  these  will  have  to  be  cleared  out 
before  any  attempt  can  be  made  to  relieve  us.  I  certainly 
should  not  say  so  to  anyone  else,  but  my  own  opinion  is 
that  we  shall  be  lucky  if  we  see  the  head  of  the  relieving 
party  before  another  month." 

"  A  month !  You  don't  mean  to  say  that !  Why,  we  shall 
all  be  starved  out  long  before  that !  " 

"  It  is  wonderful  how  one  can  hold  on  if  necessary,"  Hex 
said.  "No  doubt  we  shall  be  put  upon  half-allowance,  and 
the  number  of  mouths  to  be  fed  is  tremendous,  but  we  still 
keep  on  discovering  stores  in  the  houses  and  shops  within 


FOKTIFYIXG   THE    LEGATIONS  133 

the  line,  and  these  have  never  been  methodically  searched 
yet.  We  have  also  got  the  ponies  to  eat.  Fortunately  the 
native  Christians  are  not  accustomed  to  a  meat  diet,  so  the 
ponies  will  last  the  Europeans  a  good  long  time.  I  don't 
know  whether  there  are  any  rats  in  the  Legations,"  he  said 
with  a  laugh.  "  According  to  the  accounts  of  most  sieges, 
when  the  garrison  were  reduced  to  an  extremity  they  always 
seem  to  have  maintained  themselves  on  rats.  I  dare  say  they 
are  not  bad  eating  if  one  is  driven  to  it." 

"  I  haven't  seen  any  rats,"  Jenny  said  with  a  little  shudder, 
"  and  I  hope  I  shan't  see  one,  either  alive  or  cooked.  I  am  sure 
I  could  manage  very  well  with  a  little  rice  or  flour  and  tea." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  tea  would  not  sustain  us  long,  but  I 
agree  with  you  that  as  long  as  the  rice  and  flour  hold  out 
we  can  do  so.  We  have,  I  believe,  a  pretty  good  stock  of 
tinned  food,  sugar,  tea,  cocoa,  and  so  on,  and  the  pressure 
will  come  more  upon  the  unfortunate  coolies  than  upon  us. 
It  is  only  fair  to  them  to  say  that  they  are  -working  splen 
didly,  and  if  we  hold  out  it  will  be  largely  due  to  them, 
for  almost  all  the  barricade  work  has  fallen  on  them.  The 
fighting  men  are,  of  course,  always  on  guard;  the  rest  of  us 
are  all  told  off  to  work  of  some  sort  or  other:  sanitary  work, 
the  distribution  of  food  and  seeing  to  the  wants  of  everyone, 
and,  during  the  past  two  or  three  days,  the  erection  of  shell- 
proof  shelters.  The  hard  work  falls  to  the  Chinese.  They 
are  wonderfully  patient,  obedient,  and  hard-working,  and 
expose  themselves  fearlessly  everywhere.  I  am  coming  to 
have  great  respect  for  them.  There  is  no  giving  way  at  all 
among  them.  They  have  lost  everything  they  have  in  the 
world,  but  they  show  no  signs  of  despondency.  They  take 
everything  that  comes  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  sometimes, 
when  I  go  among  them  when  the  fire  is  heavy,  I  hear  them 
praying  out  aloud.  Well,  I  must  be  off  again." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  PERILOUS   ADVENTURE 

AS  he  went  along  Rex  saw  a  Chinaman  sitting  down, 
weeping  bitterly. 

"Hillo!  "  he  said,  "what  is  the  matter  with  you?" 

The  man  stood  up. 

"  I  only  got  in  at  twilight  this  morning,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I 
came  in  by  the  north  bridge.  I  managed  to  make  my  way 
there  and  lay  down  underneath  it.  Just  as  it  was  getting 
light  I  made  a  run  to  come  in.  Many  shots  were  fired  at 
me,  but  I  was  not  hit." 

"  Then  what  are  you  crying  about  ? " 

"  I  am  crying,  sir,  for  those  I  left  behind  me.  There  were 
twelve  of  us  altogether,  and  we  had  been  lying  hidden  since 
the  people  first  rose.  We  were  in  a  cellar.  The  house 
was  burnt  over  us,  but  the  cellars  were  in  the  back-yard, 
and  though  the  houses  were  destroyed,  and  we  were  nearly 
smothered,  we  managed  to  live  through  it.  A  part  of  a 
wall  fell  across  the  entrance,  and  that  saved  us.  There  was 
some  food  stored  in  the  cellar  and  we  have  lived  upon  it  up 
to  now,  but  it  was  nearly  all  gone  when  I  left.  We  have 
known  nothing  that  was  passing  outside.  Yesterday  we 
cleared  away  some  of  the  bricks  and  I  crawled  out.  We 
could  hear  the  firing  going  on  continuously,  and  knew  that 
the  people  in  the  Legations  must  be  fighting  the  Boxers, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  I  should  try  to  make  my  way  here 

134 


A    PERILOUS    ADVENTURE  135 

and  ask  them  to  send  out  a  rescue  party.  Now  I  find  that 
the  Legations  are  so  surrounded,  and  attacked  so  fiercely, 
that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  save  my  comrades.  I  have 
been  speaking  to  one  of  your  chief  officers,  and  he  tells  me 
that  it  is  quite  impossible  for  them  to  do  so,  and  all  my 
friends  must  perish.  I  have  an  old  father  and  mother  there, 
and  a  wife,  and  three  sisters,  and  the  rest  are  all  friends." 

"  How  far  are  they  away  ?  " 

"  More  than  a  mile,  sir." 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  Rex  said.  "  I  am  afraid  nothing 
can  be  done,  but  I  will  see.  If  you  are  here  at  seven  o'clock 
this  evening  I  will  tell  you." 

As  usual  Ah  Lo  was  not  far  off,  and  Rex  went  to  him  and 
told  him  what  he  had  heard. 

"It  is  bad,"  Ah  Lo  said,  "  but  what  can  be  done,  master? 
Many  have  been  massacred;  it  is  but  twelve  more." 

"  Yes,  but  we  could  do  nothing  for  the  others.  Indeed, 
most  of  them  were  massacred  before  we  got  in  here.  I  mean 
to  save  these  people  if  I  can." 

"  But  how  can  it  be  done,  master  ? " 

"  That  is  what  I  am  thinking  about,  and  I  want  you  to 
think  too,  Ah  Lo." 

"  I  am  ready  to  die  with  you,  master ;  and  if  you  tell  me 
to,  I  will  try  to  get  out  and  do  all  I  can  for  these  people, 
if  you  will  but  remain  here." 

"  No,  Ah  Lo,  that  I  cannot  hear  of.  You  know  we  have 
done  well  together  before,  and  it  must  be  easier  to  get  people 
out  of  a  cellar  than  it  was  out  of  a  governor's  yamen." 

"  It  might  not  be  so  difficult  to  get  them  out,  master ;  the 
question  is  how  to  get  them  away." 

"  I  quite  see  that." 

"  Of  course  they  are  Christians,  and  people  can  know 
Christians  directly  by  their  dress  and  other  things,  though  it 


136  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

is  not  so  much  by  the  dress  as  by  something  in  their  manner. 
Everyone  can  tell  a  Christian." 

"  Well  I  must  say  I  don't  see  anything  different  between 
the  people  working  here  and  those  we  meet  everywhere  else. 
I  will  take  your  word  for  it,  however,  and  if  there  is  anything 
different  they  must  do  their  best  to  change  it.  It  seems  to 
me  that  if  we  get  them  out  we  must  hide  them  in  some 
empty  house,  near  one  of  the  gates  if  possible,  so  that  it  will 
be  handy  for  the  wall.  There  are  not  likely  to  be  guards  on 
the  wall  at  the  other  side  of  the  town,  and  we  might  at  night 
get  them  up  there  and  lower  them  into  the  ditch;  I  believe 
at  most  places  there  is  no  water  in  it.  Then  we  must  get 
them  round  this  side  and  haul  them  up  that  part  of  the  wall 
we  hold,  and  where  we  could,  of  course,  make  our  way  out." 

"  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  that  there  is  anything  very  difficult 
about  it,"  said  Ah  Lo.  "  Of  course  we  should  put  on  Boxer 
clothes.  The  other  day  we  got  hold  of  lots  of  the  cord  they 
wear.  Several  Boxers  have  fallen  near  the  north  bridge,  and 
lie  there  still;  so  we  can  take  their  coats.  We  can  carry 
swords  and  pistols,  but  no  rifles.  If  we  should  be  discovered, 
the  sworcls,  of  course,  would  be  no  good;  we  only  want  them 
to  make  us  look  like  Boxers.  Well,  I  don't  see  why  we 
shouldn't  be  able  to  do  it.  Of  course  there  is  some  risk  in  it, 
but  if  we  could  manage  in  the  way  you  say,  it  ought  not  to 
be  very  great.  Of  course  we  must  take  with  us  the  man 
who  brought  the  news  in,  to  show  us  the  place,  and  we  may 
as  well  get  a  Boxer  coat  and  sword  for  him  too.  In  fact  if 
we  can  get  half  a  dozen  we  will  take  them ;  the  more  we  can 
dress  as  Boxers  the  better." 

Eex  went  to  his  room  and  wrote  some  letters,  which  he 
gave  to  Sandwich  when  they  met  at  six  o'clock. 

"  Look  here,  Sandwich,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  take  care 
of  these  letters.  I  have  heard  of  a  party  who  are  shut  up  in 


A   PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  137 

a  cellar  in  the  city.  There  are  twelve  of  them,  I  believe,  and 
they  have  exhausted  their  provisions,  and  must  come  out  if 
not  relieved  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  so.  I  mean  to  go  out 
and  try  to  bring  them  in  here." 

"  Eh  ?  what  ?  are  you  out  of  your  mind,  Bateman  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  there  is  much  risk  in  it.  I  shall  get 
the  Americans  to  let  me  down  over  the  part  of  the  wall  they 
hold,  and  of  course  I  myself  and  Ah  Lo,  who  will  go  with 
me,  will  dress  in  Boxer  clothes.  I  shall  go  round  the  wall 
and  get  in  again  by  one  of  the  gates  at  the  other  end.  I 
don't  suppose  any  guard  will  be  posted  there.  At  any  rate 
if  there  is  a  guard  they  won't  interfere  with  me.  Then  I 
shall  go  and  get  these  people  out,  and  shall  either  let  them 
down  over  the  wall  at  once,  or  hide  them  till  to-morrow  night 
in  some  empty  house  close  to  it ;  all  will  depend  on  the  time. 
It  really  seems  a  very  simple  thing." 

"  It  may  seem  a  very  simple  thing,  Bateman,  but  it  strikes 
me  as  being  a  mightily  dangerous  one.  Still,  if  I  spoke 
Chinese  as  you  do,  I  would  volunteer  to  go  with  you." 

<k  It  would  be  of  no  advantage,  Sandwich.  If  we  are  de 
tected  it  will  make  no  difference  whether  there  are  twelve  of 
us  or  a  hundred  and  twenty;  we  should  certainly  be  killed. 
It  is  simply  a  question  of  being  found  out,  and  therefore  the 
fewer  of  us  there  are  the  better.  Of  course  if  only  a  solitary 
man  detected  us,  we  should  cut  him  down  without  any  hesita 
tion,  but  at  that  time  of  night  it  is  not  likely  that  there  will 
be  anyone  about  to  see  us.  They  are  so  busy  all  day  that  I 
fancy  all  who  are  not  engaged  in  worrying  us  at  night  would 
be  glad  enough  to  sleep.  A  good  many  dead  Boxers  are  lying 
near  the  north  gate,  and  I  was  thinking  of  sending  my  man 
to  get  the  clothes  of  some  of  them.  Now  I  think  of  it  I 
remember  that  the  Americans  and  Germans,  when  they  cap 
tured  the  wall  yesterday,  threw  the  bodies  of  the  men  that 


138  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

they  had  killed  over  the  parapet  into  the  moat,  so  we  can 
get  the  things  when  we  go  out,  without  running  any 
risk. 

"  I  should  not  have  said  anything  about  this  to  you,  only  I 
have  written  letters  to  my  cousins  and  my  father  and  mother, 
so  that  you  can  hand  the  one  to  the  girls  in  two  or  three  days 
if  I  do  not  get  back,  and  send  the  other  down  to  my  father 
after  you  are  relieved.  I  do  it  as  a  measure  of  precaution, 
but  I  really  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  great  chance  of  my 
coming  to  grief.  Of  course  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst, 
and  we  are  surprised,  I  shall  bolt  for  it  with  Ah  Lo.  I  am 
ready  to  run  some  risk  to  get  these  poor  people  out,  but  I 
don't  mean  to  throw  away  my  life,  and,  as  I  say,  shall  make 
a  bolt  for  it  if  we  are  found  out.  In  those  deserted  streets, 
with  no  end  of  empty  houses,  I  fancy  we  could  soon  throw 
them  off  our  scent,  and  should  then  be  able  to  find  our  way 
back  again  quietly  to  the  foot  of  the  walls." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  will  do  so,  Bateman.  I  tell  you  fairly 
that  I  think  you  are  running  a  very  foolish  risk.  Still,  it  is 
a  noble  thing  to  attempt." 

"  Oh,  bosh !  "  said  Rex,  "  it  seems  to  me  a  very  simple  affair, 
and  it  is  certainly  well  worth  running  certain  risks  to  save 
the  lives  of  those  poor  people." 

"When  do  you  start?" 

"  As  soon  as  it  gets  dark  enough  for  us  to  move  along  near 
the  wall  without  being  seen.  I  want  to  go  as  soon  as  I  can, 
because  I  should  like  to  pass  out  through  the  gate  of  the 
China  town  before  my  doing  so  would  excite  any  attention. 
I  don't  think  it  is  likely  that  they  will  have  guards  there.  If 
we  find  that  there  are,  and  I  see  that  they  are  watchful,  I  will 
hide  up  till  the  morning,  when  people  are  sure  to  go  out  to 
cultivate  the  fields." 

Rex  now  found  Ah  Lo  and  told  him  that  he  need  not  go 


A   PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  139 

out  to  get  the  Boxer  clothes  as  there  were  plenty  to  be  had 
in  the  moat  outside  the  wall. 

"  That  will  certainly  be  better,  master." 

As  it  was  getting  dusk  they  started  with  the  Chinaman 
who  had  brought  in  the  report,  made  their  way  through  the 
Russian  Legation  into  the  American,  then  climbed  the  wall. 
Rex  was  well  known  to  the  officer  who  commanded  the  party 
there. 

"  Good-evening,  Mr.  Bateman !  "  the  officer  said,  "  have  you 
any  message  for  us  ? " 

"  No,  I  am  going  out  on  my  own  account.  This  Chinaman 
with  me  is  one  of  a  party  who  have  been  hidden  in  a  cellar 
since  the  massacre.  They  knew  nothing  of  what  had  been 
going  on,  and  he  came  to  ask  if  a  party  would  go  out  to  their 
assistance.  That,  of  course,  is  impossible,  but  it  seems  to  me 
that  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  me  and  my  man  managing 
it.  We  have  got  ropes  for  letting  ourselves  down  from  the 
wall  here,  and  at  the  other  side  of  the  town,  where  the 
fugitives  are  hidden.  I  hope  to  arrive  at  the  foot  of  the 
wall  here  not  later  than  to-morrow  night." 

"  It  seems  a  very  wild  scheme,  Bateman." 

"  I  don't  think  so.  When  we  get  down  to  the  wall  we  are 
going  to  dress  up  in  the  clothes  of  those  Boxers  you  threw 
over  after  your  recent  fight,  and  I  shall  take  four  or  five 
extra  suits  for  the  use  of  the  fugitives.  In  that  way  we  are 
likely  to  pass  along  without  being  questioned.  The  streets 
will  probably  be  nearly  deserted  by  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock, 
and  if  we  have  luck  we  shall  be  able  to  get  them  over  the  wall 
without  much  loss  of  time.  If  there  is  no  guard  at  the  gate 
of  the  China  wall  we  may  possibly  be  here  before  daylight 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  Well,  I  wish  you  luck,  but  I  can't  help  thinking  that  you 
are  acting  very  rashly." 


140  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"You  must  remember  that  I  and  my  man  have  already 
travelled  some  hundred  miles  in  disguise,  and  by  this  means 
have  already  got  in  here  twice,  and  out  of  Tientsin  once. 
I  really  don't  see  that  there  is  any  appreciable  risk  in  the 
thing  whatever.  If  it  is  after  daylight  when  we  arrive  here, 
you  and  your  men  will  be  able  to  keep  the  people  in  the 
Chinese  town  from  attacking  us  while  we  are  coming  up." 

"  I  think  we  can  promise  to  do  that/'  the  officer  said ;  "  we 
never  see  a  soul  pass  along  this  road." 

"  Very  well,  we  shall  be  here  in  an  hour's  time." 

Rex  went  to  the  storekeeper  and  obtained  from  him  a 
length  of  rope  sufficient  for  climbing  the  wall,  and  then  with 
Ah  Lo  and  the  Chinaman  he  set  out.  It  was  dark  when  they 
got  to  the  wall  again,  and  they  were  without  delay  lowered 
down  one  after  the  other  by  the  American  marines. 

"  We  shall  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  you  towards  morning," 
the  officer  said ;  "  do  you  want  to  take  this  rope  away  with 
you?" 

"  No,  I  have  another  length  with  me." 

Their  first  step  was  to  strip  the  garments  from  nine  of  the 
dead  Boxers.  Three  of  these  they  put  on,  and  the  rest  they 
fastened  in  a  bundle,  which  the  Chinaman  took.  For  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  they  followed  the  road  by  the  moat,  and 
then  turned  into  the  town.  They  saw  but  few  lights,  and 
went  without  attracting  any  observation  through  the  gate. 
As  Rex  had  expected,  this  was  unguarded.  They  crossed  the 
moat  beyond  it,  and  then  walked  on  quickly.  An  hour's 
brisk  walking  took  them  to  the  gate  in  the  Tartar  wall.  This 
was  open  and  they  passed  through  unquestioned.  Then  they 
dived  into  a  lane,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  reached  a  space 
covered  with  ruins.  Through  these  the  Chinaman  led  the 
way,  and  presently  stopped  by  the  side  of  a  fallen  wall. 
"  This  is  the  place,"  he  said,  and,  advancing,  he  cleared 


A   PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  141 

away  some  bricks,  and  suddenly  disappeared  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth. 

"  It  is  I,"  he  said,  "  and  a  white  officer  and  his  servant 
have  come  out  to  rescue  you." 

An  exclamation  of  thankfulness  followed  his  words,  and 
Eex  descended  with  Ah  Lo  at  his  heels.  Striking  a  light, 
he  saw  seven  men  and  five  women.  The  people  gave  a  cry  of 
terror  as  they  saw  the  Boxer  garments. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,"  Rex  said,  "  these  are  only  disguises. 
We  have  brought  some  more  with  us,  which  the  men  must 
put  on." 

He  struck  match  after  match  while  this  was  being  done. 

"  Now,"  he  iaid,  "  you  women  must  make  some  little 
changes  in  your  dress,  so  as  to  resemble  ordinary  native 
women,  and  then  we  will  sally  out." 

Five  minutes  later  they  started.  They  had  gone  but  fifty 
yards  beyond  the  burnt  area  when  three  men  came  from  a 
house  and  accosted  them. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  said. 

"  We  are  your  brethren,"  Ah  Lo  answered. 

"  Give  us  the  sign,  that  we  may  know  you  are  Boxers,"  one 
of  the  men  said. 

"  Give  us  the  sign,"  Ah  Lo  replied. 

"  We  called  for  it  first,"  the  man  said. 

"  Very  well,  this  is  the  only  sign  that  you  will  get  from 
us,"  and  Ah  Lo  struck  him  a  tremendous  blow  with  his 
sword. 

Rex  cut  down  another,  and  the  third  took  to  his  heels, 
shouting. 

"  This  way,"  the  Chinaman  said,  running  down  a  narrow 
alley.  "  We  can  get  out  at  the  other  end,  where  there  is  a 
net-work  of  lanes." 

They  hurried  at  full  speed  down  the  lane,  then  turned 


142  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

again,  and  in  five  minutes  were  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  scene  of  the  fray. 

"  Now,"  Rex  said,  "  let  us  make  for  the  wall.  That  man 
may  have  given  the  alarm,  and  it  will  not  be  safe  to  try  the 
gate." 

They  kept  on  until  the  wall  rose  before  them,  then  they 
followed  it  till  they  came  to  steps  leading  to  the  top.  When 
they  reached  the  summit,  Ah  Lo  unwound  a  rope  from  his 
waist. 

"  Now,"  he  said  to  one  of  the  men,  "  you  go  down  first. 
If  you  find  that  the  water  is  too  deep  to  wade  across,  stop 
where  you  are." 

One  by  one  the  men  and  women  were  lowered  down  by 
Ah  Lo,  and  Rex  was  the  last  to  descend.  Just  as  he  reached 
the  water,  steps  were  heard  running  along  the  wall. 

"  Keep  quiet,"  Rex  said,  "  let  them  go  by  before  we  try 
to  cross.  They  won't  notice  the  rope  in  the  dark." 

Some  fifty  men  ran  along  the  top  of  the  wall,  leaving  one 
here  and  there  to  watch.  One  was  halted  immediately  above 
Rex  and  his  companions. 

"  Now,"  Rex  asked  in  a  whisper,  "  how  many  of  you  can 
swim?" 

Three  of  the  men  said  they  could  do  so. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Rex,  "  we  must  carry  across  those  who 
cannot;  the  women  first.  Swim  as  noiselessly  as  you  can; 
that  fellow  above  will  hear  the  least  noise." 

The  first  party  crossed  without  noise,  but  as  the  second 
lot  were  being  taken  over  one  of  the  Chinamen  made  a 
splash.  There  was  an  immediate  shout  from  above,  and  a 
man  leaning  over  the  parapet  fired  a  musket.  The  swimmers 
and  their  burdens,  however,  reached  the  other  side  of  the 
moat  without  mishap. 

"  It  will  be  five  minutes  before  they  gather  again  here," 


THEY  WERE  LOWERED  DOWN  ONE  AFTER  THE   OTHER. 


A   PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  143 

said  Rex,  "  and  then  they  will  have  to  get  to  the  gate,  which 
must  take  them  nearly  ten  minutes.  Let  us  get  well  out  into 
the  country,  and  then  make  for  the  China  town.  Let  each 
man  help  a  woman  along." 

Fortunately  all  the  women  had,  on  becoming  Christians, 
given  up  the  absurd  practice  of  deforming  their  feet,  and 
were  now  able  to  walk  with  comparative  freedom.  Never 
theless,  they  would  have  made  but  slow  progress  but  for  the 
assistance  of  the  men.  After  a  time  they  changed  their 
course,  but,  hearing  a  number  of  men  running  and  shouting, 
they  took  refuge  in  some  high  grain  until  they  had  passed. 
When  their  pursuers  were  well  out  of  sight  and  hearing, 
they  continued  till  they  reached  the  gate  in  the  Chinese  wall. 
Here  they  waited  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  Ah  Lo 
approached  the  gate. 

"  I  see  no  guard  has  been  placed  here  since  we  passed  out, 
so  we  can  enter  without  fear." 

Passing  through,  they  turned  at  once  to  the  right,  and 
kept  without  interruption  along  the  bank  of  the  canal  at 
the  foot  of  the  Tartar  wall.  The  women  were,  for  the  most 
part,  drooping  now.  They  had  been  on  short  rations  for 
many  days,  and  were  no  doubt  worn  out  by  anxiety  and 
terror.  Progress,  therefore,  became  much  slower  and  more 
difficult,  but  luckily  there  was  no  further  alarm,  and  before 
dawn  they  succeeded  in  reaching  that  part  of  the  wall  held 
by  the  Americans. 

"  We  are  here,  Captain,"  Rex  called.  "  We  have  got  them 
all.  Please  let  down  the  rope  and  haul  them  up." 

"Bravo!  "  the  officer  said.  "I  hardly  expected  to  see  you 
again.  We  will  soon  have  them  all  up." 

Half  a  minute  later  the  rope  fell  beside  them,  and  one  by 
one  the  women  were  hoisted  to  the  top  of  the  wall.  The 
men  were  next  taken  up,  and  finally  Ah  Lo  and  Rex. 


144  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  So  you  got  through  safely,"  the  officer  said,  shaking  Kex 
by  the  hand.  "  Did  you  meet  with  any  trouble  ?  " 

11  We  were  only  stopped  by  three  Boxers,  and  as  we  could 
not  give  their  pass-word  they  tried  to  arrest  us.  My  man  cut 
down  one,  and  I  polished  off  another,  but  the  third  bolted  and 
gave  the  alarm.  We  had  no  difficulty,  however,  in  eluding 
them,  and  making  our  way  to  the  wall.  The  fellows  came 
along  above  us,  and,  as  we  had  to  carry  the  women  over  the 
moat,  they  heard  us.  But  we  got  well  away  before  they 
could  come  out  through  the  gate,  and  we  hid  up  till  they 
had  passed  us  in  the  dark.  We  had  no  difficulty  in  coming 
through  the  Chinese  town." 

"  Well,  I  congratulate  you  upon  your  exploit,  which 
has  been  the  means  of  saving  twelve  of  these  poor  beg 
gars." 

"  Now  I  shall  be  going  on  at  once,"  Rex  said.  "  We  are 
all  drenched  to  the  skin,  and  though  we  have  dried  a  bit  on 
the  way,  I  for  one  shall  be  glad  to  get  into  fresh  clothes.  I 
will  thank  you  to  give  me  those  I  left  here  before  starting. 
I  must  put  them  on  now,  otherwise  I  should  never  get 
through  the  Russian  Legation." 

He  rapidly  changed  his  clothes,  and  then  they  went  with 
his  companions  down  the  steps  from  the  wall,  passed  through 
the  American  Legation,  and  entered  that  of  the  Russians. 
Here  the  sentry  stopped  Rex,  and  refused  to  let  him  pass 
until  an  officer  came  out  with  a  lantern  and  questioned  him. 
This  officer,  however,  recognized  Rex  at  once,  and  allowed 
him  and  his  party  to  proceed.  Rex  then  went  on  through 
the  houses  that  separated  the  Legation  from  the  British 
quarters.  Here  they  were  again  questioned  by  two  marines, 
but  having  satisfied  these  men,  they  entered  the  British 
Legation. 

"  Now  you  are  safe,"  Rex  said  to  his  friends.    "  You  must 


A   PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  145 

lie  down  and  sleep  here  to-night.  To-morrow  I  will  see  that 
you  have  clothes  and  rations." 

The  Chinese  had  scarcely  spoken  a  word  since  they  started, 
but  now,  as  with  one  accord,  they  fell  on  their  knees  and 
showered  blessings  and  thanks  upon  Rex  for  saving  them 
from  a  terrible  death. 

"  It  is  all  right,"  he  said.  "  I  am  very  pleased  to  have 
been  the  means  of  saving  you  and  myself.  Thank  God  that 
I  have  been  able  to  do  so!  I  had  expected  to  meet  with 
many  difficulties,  but  everything  has  turned  out  well.  Now 
I  must  go,  but  I  will  see  that  you  get  an  allowance  of  food  in 
the  morning." 

Then  he  went  over  to  his  quarters.  Sandwich  and  two  or 
three  of  his  companions  were  still  sitting  up,  and  they  gave 
a  shout  of  satisfaction  as  they  saw  Rex  enter. 

"  I  am  heartily  glad  to  see  you  back,  Bateman,"  one  of 
them  said.  "  You  found  it,  of  course,  impossible,  and  have 
had  to  give  it  up.  I  felt  sure  that  you  would  have  to  do  so, 
and  we  waited  up  to  see  you." 

"  What  time  is  it  now  ? "  asked  Hex. 

"  About  one  o'clock." 

"  Well,  I  am  back  sooner  than  I  expected,  and  am  happy 
to  say  that  I  have  succeeded  without  any  difficulty.  On  the 
way  back  with  the  refugees  we  had  one  encounter,  and  had 
to  kill  a  couple  of  Boxers.  The  rest  was  easy." 

"  You  don't  say  so,  Bateman !  Well,  I  congratulate  you 
most  heartily.  You  have  indeed  done  a  good  night's  work; 
tell  us  all  about  it." 

Rex  gave  them  a  short  account  of  his  adventure. 

"  I  thought,"  he  said,  "  that  there  would  be  no  great  diffi 
culty  about  it,  and  I  am  sorry  that  it  was  not  accomplished 
without  bloodshed,  but  we  could  not  help  ourselves  in  that 
respect.  I  am  glad  indeed  that  I  brought  the  poor  creatures 


146  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

in.  The  women  were  desperately  done  up  by  the  time  we 
got  within  the  lines,  which  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  after 
all  they  had  gone  through.  Well,  I  will  lie  down  now,  for 
I  have  had  a  very  long  day,  and  I  must  be  up  early  to 
morrow  to  see  that  these  people  get  rations,  for  I  fancy  they 
are  pretty  nearly  starved." 

In  a  few  minutes  all  were  asleep.  Rex  was  up  before  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  once  ran  down  to  the  gentle 
man  whose  duty  it  was  to  see  to  the  provisioning  of  the  native 
Christians. 

"  I  want  you  to  put  down  thirteen  more  names,"  he  said. 

"How  is  that,  Mr.  Bateman?" 

"  One  of  a  party  came  in  yesterday  afternoon,  and  told  me 
that  there  were  twelve  of  them  in  hiding  in  a  cellar  near  the 
burnt  area,  so  I  went  out  with  my  man  last  night  and 
brought  them  in." 

"  You  did,  Mr.  Bateman  ?  You  astonish  me !  And  you  did 
it  without  opposition  ? " 

"  Without  any  opposition  to  speak  of,  sir.  We  had  to  kill 
a  couple  of  Boxers,  and  we  were  pursued  hotly.  After  we 
got  over  the  wall  one  of  the  men  made  a  splash  in  the  water, 
and  the  sentry  heard  it.  But,  with  those  two  slight  excep 
tions,  everything  went  off  well." 

"  But  how  on  earth  did  you  get  in  here  ? " 

"We  got  over  the  wall  close  by  the  Americans,  and  were 
hauled  up  by  them  on  our  return." 

"Well,  sir,  you  must  at  once  report  what  you  have 
done." 

"  Oh,  I  would  rather  say  nothing  about  it  at  all ! "  Rex 
said.  "  I  shall  only  be  questioned  about  it,  and  have  all  sorts 
of  bother." 

"Nevertheless  it  must  be  reported,  Mr.  Bateman.  I  shall 
have  to  account  for  the  issue  of  thirteen  more  rations  than 


A    PERILOUS   ADVENTURE  147 

before,  and  shall  have  to  explain  in  my  report  that  these  are 
people  who  were  brought  in  by  you  during  the  night." 

"  Well,  I  only  hope  that  nobody  will  take  the  trouble  to 
read  your  report,  sir.  I  hate  being  talked  about,  and  as  likely 
as  not  I  should  be  blown  up  for  going  out  without  orders." 

"  Perhaps  something  will  be  said  about  that,  Mr.  Bateman, 
but  certainly  you  will  get  more  praise  than  blame." 

Rex  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  wrould  much  rather  get  neither,  sir.  The  affair  was  a 
very  simple  and  straightforward  one,  and  there  is  no  occasion 
that  I  can  see  for  anything  to  be  said  about  it  one  way  or 
another." 

Nevertheless,  to  his  disgust,  he  saw,  an  hour  later,  a  notice 
stuck  up  among  those  in  the  tower,  that  Mr.  Bateman,  with 
his  man,  had  gone  out  and  succeeded  in  bringing  in  thirteen 
native  Christians  from  a  hiding-place  among  the  ruins. 


CHAPTER   IX 
IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 

A  S  Rex  was  returning  to  breakfast  in  a  state  of  exceeding 
-£*-  bad  temper,  he  met  Sandwich,  who  said :  "  Sir  Claude's 
secretary  has  been  round.  He  wishes  to  see  you." 

Rex  swung  himself  round  with  a  grunt  of  dissatisfaction, 
and  made  his  way  to  the  residency.  Sir  Claude,  with  four 
other  gentlemen,  had  just  sat  down  to  breakfast  when  he  was 
shown  in. 

"Have  you  breakfasted,  Mr.  Bateman?"  he  asked. 

"  No,  sir,  not  yet." 

"  Sit  down  and  take  it  with  me,  then ;  we  can  talk  while 
we  eat." 

Rex  would  much  rather  have  gone  through  his  examina 
tion  and  made  off  to  breakfast  with  his  chum,  but  as  he  could 
not  refuse  the  invitation,  he  sat  down  in  no  very  good 
temper.  Sir  Claude  smiled  a  little. 

"I  can  understand,"  he  said  after  a  minute  or  two,  "by 
what  you  said  last  time  I  had  a  conversation  with  you,  that 
you  don't  like  having  your  good  deeds  talked  about." 

"  I  don't  like  being  talked  about  in  any  way,  sir." 

"  But  in  that  case,  Mr.  Bateman,  you  should  not  do  things 
that  necessitate  your  being  talked  about." 

Rex,  after  a  little  struggle  to  maintain  his  serious  face, 
laughed. 

"  Well,  sir,  I  can  assure  you  that  if  I  had  my  own  way  I 

148 


IX    THE    ENEMY  S    CAMP  149 

should  prefer  to  go  about  and  do  what  I  like  and  to  keep  it 
entirely  to  myself." 

"  Well,  now,  you  see,  the  thing  has  come  out,  Mr.  Bateman, 
certainly  not  from  what  you  said  about  it,  but  from  the  report 
made  by  Mr.  Graham,  when  you  applied  to  him  for  thirteen 
Chinamen  to  be  put  on  rations.  I  have  just  been  telling  these 
gentlemen  of  the  manner  in  which  you  rescued  your  cousins, 
and  they,  as  well  as  myself,  want  to  hear  this  second  chapter 
of  adventure.  Please  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"  There  is  very  little  to  tell,  sir." 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Bateman,  there  must  be  a  good  deal  to 
tell,  and  as  you  must  be  perfectly  well  aware  that  you  ought 
not  to  have  left  the  Legation  without  permission,  the  least 
you  can  do  is  to  give  us  a  full  account  of  your  reasons  for 
doing  so,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  you  carried  out  your 
adventure.  Now,  please,  begin  at  the  beginning  and  tell  us 
how  you  learned  that  the  people  were  in  hiding." 

Beginning,  therefore,  with  his  meeting  with  the  Chinaman, 
Rex  told  the  story,  ending  with:  "  There,  sir,  I  said  at  the 
beginning  that  there  was  really  nothing  to  tell,  and  that  it 
was  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world." 

"  I  do  not  quite  agree  with  you.  Mr.  Bateman.  I  think  my 
friends  here  will  all  join  with  me  in  saying  that  it  was  an 
admirably  planned  and  well  carried  out  scheme,  and  it 
cannot,  I  am  sure,  be  otherwise  than  a  matter  of  intense 
gratification  to  yourself  that  you  have  saved  these  twelve 
poor  people  from  a  terrible  death.  It  does  you  very  great 
credit,  sir,  but  I  hope  that  you  will  not  undertake  any  more 
enterprises  of  this  kind  without  speaking  to  me  beforehand. 
I  am  commander-iii-chief  of  the  forces  here,  and  before  any 
of  my  officers  undertake  enterprises  that  might  deprive  me  of 
their  services  they  must  have  my  consent." 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over,  Rex  ran  back  to  his  quarters. 


150  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  Is  there  anything  left  to  eat,  Sandwich  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  we  put  some  by  for  you." 

"  That  is  a  comfort.  The  governor  asked  me  to  breakfast 
with  him,  and  I  had  scarcely  got  down  two  or  three  mouthf  uls 
when  he  asked  me  to  tell  him  all  about  that  affair  last  night, 
and  as  a  fellow  cannot  talk  and  eat  at  once,  I  fared  very  badly. 
What  have  you  got  ?  " 

"  There  is  half  a  pot  of  jam  and  boiled  rice." 

"  That  will  do  first-rate.  Where  are  you  going  to  work 
to-day?" 

"  We  are  going  over  to  the  Fu,  and  are  just  starting." 

"  Well,  I  will  come  across  when  I  am  done,  and  so  get  out 
of  the  way  of  being  jawed  at.  I  suppose  we  shan't  come 
back  till  dusk.  That  will  suit  me  admirably,  for  there  is  sure 
to  be  something  else  fresh  during  the  day,  and  by  to-morrow 
this  business  of  mine  will  be  forgotten." 

On  the  way  down  to  the  Fu  Rex  was  captured  by  a  party 
on  the  search  for  volunteers  to  drive  a  hole  through  the  south 
walls,  in  order  that  a  watch  could  be  placed  there  to  see  that 
the  Chinese  were  not  mining  in  that  direction.  The  day  was 
tremendously  hot,  and  as  the  wall  was  well  built  the  labour 
was  extremely  exhausting.  It  was  therefore  a  relief  when 
they  were  called  off  to  take  any  measures  that  might  be. 
necessary  at  the  stable-house.  The  Chinese  had  mounted  a 
gun  at  the  barricade  on  their  side  of  the  Mongol  Market  and 
opened  fire  on  the  stable-house.  Four  shells  crashed,  one 
after  another,  into  the  stable-house,  and  the  marines  had  to 
evacuate  the  upper  story,  and  the  whole  building  was  so 
damaged  that  it  was  in  danger  of  falling.  Several  shells  also 
burst  over  the  hospital.  One  entered  it,  and  another  killed 
a  pony  just  outside  it.  The  marines  kept  up  a  steady 
musketry  fire  on  the  Chinese  who  were  working  the  gun,  and 
soon  managed  to  drive  them  off.  In  the  evening  the  gun 


151 

again  began  firing,  this  time  aiming  at  the  door  of  the 
stable-yard.  As,  however,  the  newly-built  wall  behind  it 
was  ten  feet  thick  they  effected  no  serious  damage,  and  the 
next  morning  the  gun  was  removed;  and  it  was  not  again 
brought  into  play. 

This  cessation  of  fire  was  singular,  as,  though  it  had  failed 
to  breach  the  wall  behind  the  door,  it  could  certainly  have 
destroyed  with  a  few  shot  the  old  wall  beside  the  door.  Half 
a  dozen  guns  placed  here  would  have  brought  the  whole  wall 
down  in  a  very  short  time  and  laid  our  defences  open.  All 
sorts  of  explanations  were  suggested,  but  the  general  idea  was 
that  the  Chinese  officer  commanding  at  that  point  must  have 
been  secretly  in  favour  of  the  defenders  of  the  Legation,  and 
anxious  that  total  destruction  should  not  be  effected,  either 
because  he  was  favourable  to  the  Christian  doctrine  or  feared 
the  vengeance  that  would  follow  by  the  united  powers  of 
Europe. 

While  the  fire  on  the  stable-house  was  continuing,  a  strong 
attack  had  been  directed  against  the  barricades  of  the  French 
Legation.  The  Chinese  lines  had  been  pushed  up  so  close 
that  the  fighting  was  almost  hand  to  hand.  M.  von  Rosthorn, 
the  Austrians'  charge  d'affaires,  was  fighting  here,  with  his 
brave  wife,  a  lady  who  had  taken  more  than  her  share  in  the 
defence.  She  endeavoured  to  destroy  the  Chinese  barrier  by 
throwing  upon  it  straw  dipped  in  petroleum.  The  Chinese 
retorted  with  showers  of  stones,  by  one  of  which  M.  Rosthorn 
was  somewhat  severely  wounded.  Throughout  the  siege  this 
lady  evinced  an  amount  of  courage  that  was  the  astonish 
ment  of  the  troops.  When  Rex  went  back  in  the  evening 
from  the  Fu  he  looked  into  the  hospital  to  see  the  girls. 
They  ran  up  to  him  eagerly,  crying  breathlessly :  "  Oh,  Rex, 
everyone  is  talking  about  your  going  out  and  bringing  in  a 
party  of  men  and  women !  " 


152  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  Well,  then,  I  wish  to  goodness  they  would  find  something 
better  to  talk  about.  There  is  nothing  in  the  thing  at  all.  A 
Chinaman  who  had  come  in  told  me  that  the  party  was  in 
hiding,  and  guided  Ah  Lo  and  me  to  the  place.  Of  course 
they  were  glad  enough  to  come  out,  and  we  had  no  adventure 
at  all  on  the  way,  except  that  three  Boxers  came  up  and  inter 
fered  with  us,  and  we  had  to  cut  two  of  them  down.  The 
other  bolted,  and  we  then  got  over  the  wall,  made  a  circuit 
through  the  fields,  and  climbed  back  over  the  wall  behind  the 
American  Legation.  I  am  quite  sick  of  hearing  about  it,  as 
if  there  was  nothing  else  to  talk  about.  It  is  quite  ridicu 
lous." 

"  Well,  people  must  have  thought  it  was  something  out  of 
the  way,  because  a  notice  about  it  was  posted  up  on  the  tower 
early  in  the  morning,  and  another  report  that  Sir  Claude  was 
praising  your  action  very  much.  Lots  of  people  have  come  in 
to  tell  us  about  it." 

"It  is  a  pity  they  hadn't  something  better  to  do,"  Kex 
grumbled.  "  I  am  quite  sick  of  the  subject;  let  us  talk  about 
comething  else." 

"  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen  you  cross,  Kex,"  said 
Jenny. 

"Well,  it  is  enough  to  make  one  cross,  having  such  a 
fuss  made  about  nothing.  Now,  how  are  you  getting  on 
here?" 

"  We  are  all  right,  though  some  shells  burst  over  the  house 
this  afternoon,  which  made  us  fairly  jump." 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  they  gave  us  quite  a  start,  but  we  could  see 
that  no  great  harm  had  been  done." 

"  The  heat  has  been  awful ;  we  have  knocked  out  all  the 
panes  of  the  upper  windows  to  try  and  get  a  little  air  in,  but 
we  have  all  been  feeling  it  very  much,  and  of  course  you  must 
have  felt  it  more.  I  really  don't  know  how  we  should  get  on 


153 

if  we  were  not  allowed  off  duty  for  two  hours  each  evening, 
when  we  can  go  out  and  enjoy  the  cool  air." 

"  Yes,  it  must  be  terribly  trying,"  Hex  said.  "  It  must  be 
worse  for  you  in  that  stifling  room  inside  than  it  is  for  us, 
even  working  in  the  sun." 

That  night  a  small  party  of  marines  and  volunteers  went 
out  and  endeavoured  to  capture  the  gun  on  the  other  side  of 
the  market-place,  but  the  Chinese  stood  firm,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  retire  without  having  effected  anything.  They 
were  very  well  satisfied  in  the  morning,  however,  when  they 
found  that  the  gun  had  been  removed  during  the  night. 

The  next  day,  the  last  of  June,  the  fight  raged  round  the 
French  Legation,  and  although  all  men,  not  otherwise  em 
ployed,  who  could  use  a  rifle  went  to  the  assistance  of  its 
defenders,  things  went  badly.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
Legation  was  burned,  and  the  defenders  were  driven  back 
step  by  step;  but  when  the  Chinese  were  distinctly  getting 
the  best  of  it  their  fire  ceased,  without  any  apparent  reason, 
and  the  wearied  defenders  and  the  Chinese  coolies  had  time 
to  put  up  fresh  barricades. 

At  nine  o'clock  a  very  heavy  thunderstorm  burst  over  the 
city,  and  at  the  same  time  firing  was  renewed  with  fresh 
vigour.  Cannon,  machine-guns,  and  rifles  added  their  roar 
to  the  rumble  of  the  thunder,  and  their  puny  flashes  to  the 
vivid  sheets  of  lightning.  The  firing  ceased  by  daylight,  and 
the  day  passed  without  any  serious  disturbance.  The  next 
day,  however,  began  badly.  The  Chinese  concentrated  their 
attempts  against  the  German  and  American  barricades  on  the 
wall;  they  had  advanced  their  works  to  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  Germans  and  mounted  a  gun  there,  from  which 
they  maintained  a  constant  fire.  It  was  difficult  to  send  up 
reinforcements,  for  there  was  no  shelter  between  the  Lega 
tions  and  the  foot  of  the  wall,  and  several  were  killed  as  they 


154  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

tried  to  cross.  The  American  barricade  on  the  west  was  very 
open,  as  the  Chinese  guns  at  the  Chien  Men  gates  com 
manded  it.  On  the  night  of  the  30th  of  June  the  enemy 
threw  up  a  new  barricade  within  two  feet  of  the  American 
one. 

On  the  2nd  of  July,  at  daybreak,  the  Chinese  stormed  the 
German  barricade  and  drove  its  defenders  from  the  wall. 
The  Americans,  seeing  their  own  rear  open  to  attack,  hur 
riedly  left  the  defence  and  ran  down  to  their  Legation.  This 
was  a  grievous  misfortune.  The  Ministers  all  met  at  the 
British  Legation,  and  decided  that  the  wall  must  be  retaken 
at  whatever  cost,  as  the  Chinese  were  placing  guns  upon  it 
that  would  sweep  the  whole  position.  No  time  was  lost.  A 
body  of  marines,  Americans,  British,  and  Russians,  were  col 
lected,  and,  led  by  Colonel  Myers,  dashed  boldly  forward  and 
drove  the  Chinese  back  along  the  wall.  The  enemy  had 
taken  no  steps  whatever  to  strengthen  their  position,  or  even 
to  mass  any  body  of  troops  capable  of  holding  it  against  a 
determined  attack.  The  moment  the  position  was  regained 
everyone  who  could  work  a  sewing-machine  or  a  needle  was 
called  upon  to  make  sand-bags.  Every  sort  of  stuff  was 
called  into  requisition  for  the  purpose ;  ladies  cut  up  silk  and 
cotton  dresses,  men  contributed  spare  pairs  of  trousers — 
which  only  required  sewing  up  at  the  bottom  of  the  legs  and 
again  at  the  top  after  being  filled.  With  these  the  barricades 
were  strengthened.  Nevertheless,  although  the  position  was 
re-established,  a  general  feeling  of  depression  was  felt.  The 
Germans  had  not  worked  well,  their  resistance  to  the  attack 
had  been  feeble,  and  none  of  their  marines  had  joined  in  re 
covering  the  wall. 

The  feeling  was  deepened  by  events  at  the  French  Lega 
tion.  Here  Mr.  Wagner,  an  officer  of  the  customs-house, 
was  killed  and  the  French  guards  were  driven  back. 


155 

Later,  however,  they  recovered  the  position  and  returned  to 
their  barricades. 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  another  misfortune.  An  Italian 
officer,  Captain  Paolina,  proposed  to  attempt  the  capture  of  a 
gun  in  the  northeast,  facing  the  Fu,  which  had  caused  con 
siderable  annoyance.  He  suggested  that  the  Japanese  should 
proceed  along  the  side  of  the  canal,  and  then,  working  round 
a  large  block  of  houses,  come  down  upon  the  gun  from  the 
north,  while  he,  with  a  mixed  party,  should  make  his  way 
between  two  of  the  blocks  of  houses  against  which  the  gun 
was  directed.  His  own  party  of  Italians  was  a  small  one,  but 
they  were  supported  by  a  few  Italian  marines  and  some 
Austrian  and  British  volunteers.  Among  the  latter  were 
the  students  of  the  Consular  College. 

"  It  seems  to  be  rather  a  hare-brained  scheme,"  Sandwich 
said.  "  I  do  not  know  whether  this  Italian  officer  has  any 
particular  means  of  muling  out  the  lie  of  the  land,  but  we 
certainly  seem  going  at  it  in  rather  a  headlong  way,  and 
without  taking  any  precautions  whatever.  However,  as  we 
have  not  been  called  upon  for  much  work,  it  is  our  turn  for  a 
fight.  I  suppose  you  are  coming,  Batemaii?" 

"  Of  course  I  am.  I  regard  myself  as  a  consular  student  at 
present,  and  am  certainly  game  to  take  part  in  whatever  is 
going  on,  though,  as  you  say,  it  seems  wiser  to  gather  in  the 
part  of  the  Fu  that  remains  in  our  hands,  and  go  straight 
from  that  to  the  gun." 

They  started  along  the  side  of  the  canal.  When  the  Jap 
anese  had  gone  on  ahead,  the  rest  of  the  force  rushed  up  the 
little  lane  at  the  corner  of  the  Fu.  Here  they  found  them 
selves  suddenly  face  to  face  with  a  barricade,  eight  feet  high 
and  loopholed.  It  was  impossible  to  assault  it.  The  Italians, 
who  were  ahead,  made  a  mad  rush  for  the  hole  leading  into 
the  wall  to  the  Fu.  They  almost  fought  their  way  in,  for  it 


156  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

was  but  wide  enough  for  one  man  to  pass  at  a  time.  The 
officer  was  wounded,  and  two  of  the  marines  were  killed. 
While  the  struggle  was  going  on,  the  volunteers  stood  with 
their  backs  against  a  wall  which  was  a  little  out  of  the 
general  line  of  fire,  and  when  the  Italians  were  out  of  the 
way  they  made  a  dash  for  the  door,  one  by  one.  The  first 
four  got  across  in  safety,  but  the  last  was  hit  in  the  shoulder 
and  leg.  The  Japanese,  meanwhile,  had  forced  their  way 
some  distance  north,  but  after  having  one  man  killed  and  two 
wounded,  finding  themselves  unsupported,  they  fell  back. 

The  failure  of  the  affair  excited  much  indignation  in  the 
Legation.  It  had  been  attempted  without  any  knowledge  of 
the  ground,  without  any  pains  being  taken  to  ascertain  the 
enemy's  position,  and  in  a  hasty  and  haphazard  manner. 
Their  success,  however,  gave  great  encouragement  to  the 
enemy. 

The  next  day  the  Chinese  gun  again  opened  fire  against  the 
Fu,  and  under  its  cover  a  furious  attack  was  made  on  the 
building.  The  Japanese,  who  had  already  suffered  heavily, 
were  forced  back,  fighting  stoutly;  and  they  must  have  been 
driven  out  of  the  building  had  it  not  been  for  a  company  of 
Christian  Chinese  whom  their  colonel  had  assiduously  drilled, 
and  who  now  fought  as  bravely  as  the  Japanese  themselves. 
With  their  aid  the  Japs  recovered  their  lost  ground  by  the 
end  of  the  day. 

The  Chinese  had  shown  particular  animosity  towards  this 
company  of  converts,  hurling  curses  against  them  and  hitting 
them  with  stones.  This  was  the  result  of  an  imperial  proc 
lamation  which  had  been  issued  on  the  previous  day,  order 
ing  that  all  missionaries  and  converts  who  did  not  repent  of 
their  former  error  should  be  slain. 

The  position  at  the  American  barricade  was  becoming  more 
and  more  dangerous.  The  Chinese  attack  had  increased  in 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  157 

vigour,  and  they  had  built  another  barricade  diagonally 
across  the  bastion,  and  almost  touching  that  of  the  Ameri 
cans.  The  consequence  was  that  they  could  at  any  moment 
from  their  barricade  pour  into  the  bastion,  and  then  make 
a  rush  over  the  American  barrier.  It  was  evident  that  if  they 
were  not  driven  out  the  wall  must  be  abandoned.  At  day 
break,  therefore,  the  Americans,  strengthened  by  a  rein 
forcement  of  British  and  Russians,  gathered  noiselessly 
behind  their  barricade,  and,  with  the  first  gleam  of  light, 
dashed  over  it.  They  found  most  of  the  Chinese  behind  the 
new  barricade  asleep,  and  bayoneting  them,  drove  the  enemy 
also  from  the  barrrer  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall.  The 
Chinamen  rallied,  however,  behind  a  barricade  farther  along 
the  wall,  and  again  opened  fire,  killing  two  of  the  American 
marines,  and  wounding  Corporal  Gregory  of  the  British 
marines,  and  Colonel  Myers,  who  had  all  along  been  in  com 
mand.  This  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  defence. 

By  this  time  life  in  the  British  Legation  had  become 
smooth  and  regular,  with  the  exception  that  a  number  of 
Chinese  men  and  women,  for  whom  no  houseroom  could  be 
found,  had  to  be  accommodated  in  rude  shelters  in  the 
square  in  front  of  the  British  envoy's  house.  All  were 
settled  down,  and  every  crevice  through  which  a  musket-ball 
could  enter  had  been  closed  up.  The  chapel  had  been  divided 
into  compartments,  and  some  fifty  people  were  lodged  in  it. 
The  library  had  been  thrown  open  to  the  use  of  all  within 
the  Legation.  The  wells  were  fortunately  full,  and  the 
health  of  the  whole  company  was  excellent. 

Communication  was  opened  with  the  Fu,  as  a  sloping  pas 
sage  had  been  driven  down  into  the  canal  and  a  strong 
barrier  erected  at  the  lower  end,  so  that  it  was  possible  to 
pass  along  it  without  risk  of  suffering  from  the  fire  kept  up 
from  the  north  bridge. 


158  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

From  another  quarter,  however,  the  enemy  were  giving  a 
great  deal  of  trouble.  Owing  to  the  burning  of  the  museum 
the  space  between  our  outposts  and  the  Imperial  wall  was 
clear.  The  Chinese  had  now  built  behind  that  wall  a  strong 
platform  and  mounted  several  cannon  upon  it,  only  one  of 
which,  however,  was  of  foreign  make.  The  parapet  of  the 
wall,  heightened  and  loopholed,  served  as  a  breastwork,  and 
as  they  put  an  iron  shutter  before  the  larger  gun,  they  could 
with  perfect  safety  bombard  the  Legation  below,  only  three 
hundred  yards  away.  The  besieged  could  make  no  reply  to 
the  fire.  The  wall  itself  could  not  be  breached  unless  by 
heavy  cannon,  and  had  the  Chinese  placed  upon  the  wall 
some  of  the  modern  cannon,  of  which  they  had  abundance, 
and  added  to  their  number,  they  could  easily  have  destroyed 
all  the  Legations.  But,  strange  to  say,  they  contented 
themselves  with  only  firing  an  occasional  shot,  which 
did  a  certain  amount  of  damage  no  doubt,  but  nothing 
serious. 

Why  the  Boxers  should  not  have  utilized  this  commanding 
position  is  a  mystery,  and  as  inexplicable  as  their  failure  to 
use  the  gun  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  market.  This  ques 
tion  was,  too,  a  fertile  cause  of  argument.  In  many  respects 
the  Chinese  showed  a  good  deal  of  intelligence  in  their 
attacks,  and  it  was  simply  astounding  that  they  should  almost 
entirely  neglect  two  points  from  which  they  could  have  done 
us  more  harm  than  from  all  others  together.  Some  asserted 
that  it  must  be  due  to  officers  in  Ching's  force,  men  who,  like 
himself,  absolutely  disapproved  of  the  attack  upon  the  Le 
gations.  But  whatever  the  reason,  all  agreed  that  had  the 
enemy  utilized  these  two  positions,  the  defence  of  the  Lega 
tions  must  sooner  or  later  have  broken  down. 

"  They  are  a  curious  mixture,"  Sandwich  said.  "  Some 
times  they  seem  to  fight  very  pluckily,  and  then  when  they 


159 

have  really  got  the  best  of  it  they  seem  to  hesitate  in  an  un 
accountable  manner.  Twice,  you  see,  it  has  really  been  open 
to  them,  if  they  had  made  a  push,  to  take  possession  of  the 
American  and  German  Legations  and  they  might  also  have 
captured  the  French ;  then  all  of  a  sudden  their  attack  ceased 
without  any  apparent  reason.  Again,  when  they  had  captured 
the  walls,  which  really  placed  us  almost  at  their  mercy,  they 
let  themselves  be  driven  off  by  less  than  a  hundred  men. 
Considering  the  force  that  they  have  at  their  disposal,  they 
ought  to  have  repulsed  the  attack  with  ease.  Then  they  did 
actually  repel  our  attack  on  the  other  side  of  the  market, 
but  the  moment  they  had  done  so  they  withdrew  the  gun  and 
ceased  to  harass  us.  They  have  any  number  of  guns  at 
their  disposal,  and  might  have  planted  a  score  of  them  there, 
in  which  case  they  could  have  battered  down  the  whole 
length  of  our  wall  on  that  side  in  a  few  hours.  Now  they 
have  stuck  those  guns  up  there  and  play  right  down  into  the 
residency,  yet  they  leave  unworked  the  one  formidable  piece 
they  have  at  that  point." 

"  It  almost  looks,  Sandwich,  as  if  they  were  divided  into 
two  parties,  one  using  some  sort  of  activity  in  order  to  take 
the  place,  the  other  thwarting  them  at  every  turn.  That  is 
the  only  explanation  I  can  think  of.  It  is  a  pity  that  one 
can't  get  at  some  of  the  leaders.  I  don't  mean,  of  course, 
that  Prince  Tung  could  be  bribed,  but  there  must  be  some 
smaller  princes  and  mandarins  who  would  be  amenable  to 
a  handsome  offer,  and  who  would  go  round  to  the  side  of 
Prince  Ching,  who  we  do  know  is  dead  against  the  Tung 
party.  The  best  plan,  though  I  don't  for  a  moment  suggest 
that  it  is  possible,  would  be  to  kidnap  the  Empress,  and  bring 
her  in  here  in  a  sedan-chair." 

Sandwich  laughed. 

"  That  certainly  would  be  a  grand  move,  but,  short  of  the 


160  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

power  of  making  invisible  the  Empress,  the  chair,  and  its 
bearers,  I  am  afraid  there  is  no  way  of  doing  it." 

"  No,  I  am  afraid  not.  Certainly  it  could  only  be  done  by 
someone  who  knows  the  palace  and  its  ways  perfectly.  We 
may  take  it  for  granted  that  all  the  approaches  are  guarded, 
and  that  it  would  be  absolutely  impossible  for  anyone  who 
is  not  perfectly  familiar  with  the  place  to  make  his  way  in. 
That  is  the  difficulty.  I  suppose  that  if  a  man  could  once 
make  an  entrance  and  hide  up,  he  would  be  able  to  get  at 
the  Empress.  She  must  be  alone  sometimes,  and  if  he  could 
get  at  her  at  such  a  time  and  put  a  pistol  to  her  head,  he 
might  be  able  to  get  her  out.  I  don't  suppose  she  would  be 
less  amenable  to  persuasion  of  that  sort  than  other  women." 

Sandwich  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"You  are  a  curious  fellow,  Bateman.  I  do  believe  you 
would  be  mad  enough  to  try  it  if  you  could  see  the  slightest 
possibility  of  success." 

Rex  joined  in  the  laugh. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  wouldn't.  It  would  be  well  worth 
risking  one's  life  to  save  the  occupants  of  these  Legations, 
but  I  confess  I  do  not  see  a  possibility  of  carrying  out  the 
idea,  at  any  rate  without  the  assistance  of  someone  who 
knows  every  in  and  out  of  the  place,  where  the  guards  are 
placed,  what  are  the  habits  of  the  Empress,  how  she  occupies 
every  minute  of  the  day,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  If  a  man 
had  learnt  all  that,  and  had  got  such  a  guide,  I  should  say 
that  it  would  be  possible.  In  case  of  failure,  however,  he 
would  have  to  be  prepared  to  put  an  end  to  himself,  so  as  to 
avoid  a  very  much  more  unpleasant  form  of  death.  But  it  is 
useless  to  think  of  it,  as  I  have  no  idea  whatever  of  the  geog 
raphy  of  the  forbidden  city,  or  the  routine  of  life  there.  It 
is  a  pity,  for  it  would  really  be  worth  trying." 

"  It  is  a  pity,"  Sandwich  laughed.    "  Can't  you  suggest  any 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  161 

other  plan?  For  instance  we  might  make  a  balloon,  anchor 
it  over  the  palace,  and  keep  up  a  rain  of  Greek  fire  till  we 
have  destroyed  the  palace  and  all  it  occupants." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  could  not  be  done,"  Rex  said,  "  there  are 
many  reasons  against  it,  but  it  is  a  thousand  pities  that  we 
have  not  a  good  stock  of  iron  here  and  a  smelting- furnace." 

"  What  would  you  do  with  that  ?  " 

"  Well  we  might  make  a  big  mortar,  say  a  two-foot 
mortar;  it  would  not  need  to  be  very  strong,  because  a  small 
charge  of  powder  would  be  sufficient  for  our  purpose.  If  we 
could  but  drop  a  half  a  dozen  shells  into  the  Imperial  Palace, 
I  should  think  the  Empress  would  be  inclined  to  come  to 
terms  speedily  if  she  did  not  want  the  palace  and  all  its  con 
tents  burned." 

"  That  is  a  more  feasible  idea  than  the  last,"  Sandwich 
said  gravely ;  "  but,  as  you  say,  we  haven't  got  iron  or  a 
smelting-furnace,  nor  powder,  nor  skill.  If  we  had  all  these 
things  we  might  manage  it.  Try  again,  old  man.  If  you 
keep  on  inventing  things  you  may  hit  upon  something  good 
some  day  or  other." 

"  My  opinion  is,"  Rex  said  sturdily,  "  that  where  there  is  a 
will  there  is  a  way.  I  have  no  doubt  that  when  a  certain 
ingenious  fellow  suggested  making  a  wooden  horse  to  capture 
Troy  he  was  tremendously  chaffed  at  first,  but  nevertheless 
you  see  he  succeeded." 

"  So  he  did,  Rex,  therefore  clearly  there  is  a  chance  for 
you." 

"  I  am  afraid  not,"  Rex  said,  shaking  his  head  gravely. 

"  Well,  I  would  go  on  thinking,  Bateman,  if  I  were  you. 
For  myself  I  own  that  I  see  no  way  at  all,  but  I  do  think 
that  you  would  be  more  likely  to  invent  a  way  than  anyone 
else,  considering  the  manner  in  which  you  rescued  your 
cousins  from  the  Boxers,  and  your  success  in  getting  in  and 


162  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

out  of  this  place,  to  say  nothing  of  the  convoying  of  those 
native  Christians  into  the  Legation.  I  believe  that  if  a  plan 
could  be  hit  upon,  you  would  be  the  fellow  to  do  it,  and  to 
carry  it  out ;  but  I  am  afraid  that  this  is  beyond  you." 

"  I  am  afraid  so ;  still,  I  shall  keep  on  thinking  the  matter 
over.  I  am  a  great  believer  in  the  saying  that  where  there  is 
a  will  there  is  a  way." 

The  next  morning  there  was  quite  a  stir.  The  Chinese  had 
discovered  an  old  iron  cannon  in  one  of  the  shops  of  Legation 
Street.  It  was  an  old  Chinese  gun,  and  it  was  a  question 
whether  it  could  be  fired  without  bursting.  The  Russians 
had  brought  up  some  shell  with  them,  but  no  gun,  and  after 
cleaning  out  the  gun,  they  found  that  these  shell  would  fit  it 
moderately  well.  With  some  trouble  the  gun  was  mounted 
on  the  wheels  of  a  hand  carriage.  Some  of  the  charge  was 
then  removed  from  one  of  the  Russian  shells,  and,  the  on 
lookers  having  retired  to  a  safe  distance,  it  was  pushed  home 
and  fired.  The  result  was  grand;  the  gun  turned  over  and 
over,  the  wheels  went  into  fragments,  but  as  the  spectators 
ran  up,  a  cheer  broke  from  them,  for  they  found  that,  con 
trary  to  all  expectations,  the  gun  had  not  burst.  The  one- 
pounder  Italian  gun  was  then  brought  up,  and  the  Chinese 
gun  mounted  upon  it.  This  suggested  the  happy  idea  of 
utilizing  the  Italian  gun,  which  was  without  shell.  A 
quantity  of  leaden  candlesticks  was  therefore  brought  in  by 
the  coolies,  melted  down,  and  cast  into  shot,  and  thus  the  Le 
gation  received  the  addition  of  two  guns  to  its  armament. 
Both  proved  very  useful.  They  were  brought  up  to  assist 
in  the  defence  of  any  point  seriously  threatened,  and  evi 
dently  created  a  considerable  impression  upon  the  assailants. 

On  Sunday,  July  8th,  the  Chinese  made  a  heavier  attack 
than  usual.  The  British  and  French  Legations  and  the  Fu 
were  all  subject  to  this  attack.  On  the  spot  from  which  they 


ix  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  163 

had  set  fire  to  the  buildings  behind  the  Chinese  secretary's 
house  the  enemy  now  planted  a  gun,  and  proceeded  to  shell 
the  house  and  the  fort  on  its  roof.  This  did  considerable 
damage,  and  caused  much  excitement,  but  after  firing  for 
some  time  they  stopped  in  the  same  unaccountable  way  as 
they  had  done  at  other  points.  The  defenders  had  begun  to 
make  a  slide  for  the  purpose  of  hauling  their  new  gun  up  to 
the  roof,  but  this  was  abandoned  as  soon  as  the  Chinese  fire 
ceased,  as  the  gun  was  urgently  wanted  to  aid  the  Japanese 
to  repel  a  serious  attack  upon  the  Fu. 

The  attack  there  was  a  very  sharp  one,  the  Chinese  keeping 
up  a  heavy  fire  of  shell,  and  setting  some  more  of  the  build 
ings  in  flames.  The  Japs,  however,  were  in  the  end  success 
ful  in  driving  the  enemy  off.  The  defenders  of  the  French 
Legation  were  very  hardly  pressed  for  a  time,  but  the  attack 
was  finally  repulsed.  At  this  point  the  Austrian  captain,  who 
had  a  fortnight  before  ordered  the  troops  out  of  the  Rus 
sian,  French,  German,  and  American  Legations,  was  killed 
fighting  bravely.  The  Germans  and  Americans  had  also  to 
fight  hard  to  repel  the  attacks  made  upon  them. 

Rex  always  looked  forward  greatly  to  his  hour's  chat  with 
the  girls  every  evening.  He  had,  early  in  the  siege,  intro 
duced  Sandwich  and  three  or  four  of  the  other  consular 
students  to  them,  and  one  or  more  of  these  generally  accom 
panied  him  on  his  visits,  so  that  they  made  quite  a  merry 
party,  as  there  were  generally  many  amusing  incidents  of  the 
day  to  be  related.  As  a  rule,  however,  they  chatted  upon 
general  topics — life  in  Tientsin,  the  prospects  of  relief,  and 
other  matters.  Sandwich  had  caused  great  amusement,  the 
evening  after  he  and  Rex  had  discussed  the  latter's  projects, 
by  gravely  detailing  them  to  the  girls,  who,  however,  at  first 
seemed  a  little  alarmed  lest  Rex  should  endeavour  to  carry 
them  into  effect. 


164  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid,  girls,"  Rex  said.  "  One  must 
think  of  something  while  one  is  standing  on  sentry  for 
hours;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  it  helped  me  very  much 
through  the  long  hours  to  imagine  the  various  ways  in  which 
one  might  do  service.  I  do  not  intend  to  take  Sandwich  into 
my  confidence  in  the  future.  I  consider  that  his  retailing 
these  ideas  to  you  is  nothing  short  of  gross  treachery.  In 
future  he  will  not  hear  of  these  matters  until  they  have  been 
accomplished.  When  I  bring  the  Empress  into  the  Legation, 
tied  on  my  back  in  a  sack,  he  will  be  obliged  to  own  that 
there  is  method  in  my  madness." 

"  But  really,  Rex,  you  have  no  idea  of  carrying  out  any  of 
these  mad  schemes  ? " 

"  I  have  no  idea  of  carrying  out  any  mad  schemes,  Jenny. 
Schemes  are  only  considered  mad  when  they  are  not  carried 
out;  when  they  are  accomplished,  everyone  says  how  simple 
and  easy  they  are.  However,  whether  mad  or  simple,  I  have 
no  idea  of  attempting  to  execute  any  of  them  at  present. 
Possibly  some  day  I  may  require  your  assistance.  I  do  not 
say  that  I  shall,  because  I  have  not  at  present  fixed  upon  any 
plan,  but  when  I  do,  I  may  put  your  devotion  to  the  test." 

"I  will  do  anything  that  I  can  do,  Rex,"  Jenny  said 
seriously.  "  After  your  rescue  of  us  from  the  yamen  at 
Chafui  I  don't  think  I  should  consider  anything  that  you 
might  suggest  as  impossible." 

"  Very  well.  I  am  afraid,  however,  that  I  shan't  be  able  to 
ask  for  your  assistance,  Jenny,  for  my  brain  really  doesn't 
seem  capable  of  inventing  anything.  I  am  always  thinking 
of  things  when  on  sentry,  but  I  have  never  managed  to  hit 
on  a  satisfactory  scheme.  It  is  horribly  annoying.  I  came 
back  into  this  place  on  purpose  to  be  of  some  good,  and  yet 
I  don't  seem  to  be  doing  any  good  at  all." 

"  Why,  my  dear  Bateman,  you  are  doing  as  much  good  as 


165 

anyone  else,"  Sandwich  laughed.  "  Nobody  else  performs 
any  out-of-the-way  feats,  and  why  should  you  be  called  upon 
to  do  so?  You  do  as  much  as  anyone  else." 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  about  that ;  but,  you  see,  every  day  our 
position  gets  a  little  worse.  The  French,  the  Americans,  and 
the  Germans  are  all  hard  pressed;  the  Japanese,  the  Italians, 
and  the  Austrians  are  gradually  losing  ground  in  the  Fu; 
and  I  feel  that  something  ought  to  be  done,  if  I  could  but 
find  out  what  that  something  is.  If  we  had  had  some  in 
ventive  sort  of  chap  up  here — a  man  like  Edison,  for 
instance — he  would  have  hit  upon  fifty  plans  for  annoying 
the  enemy.  He  would  have  invented  special  electrical  ma 
chines  for  startling  them,  would  have  contrived  substitutes 
for  cannon,  would  have  peppered  them  with  pneumatic 
machines ;  in  fact  there  is  no  saying  what  he  would  not  have 
done." 

"  But  even  an  Edison  would  have  required  a  workshop. 
We  haven't  a  machine  of  any  kind,  not  even  a  simple  lathe." 

"  Well,  he  would  have  done  without  them,"  Rex  said 
positively.  "  It  vexes  me  very  much  that  no  one  here  seems 
to  have  an  inventive  genius.  Look  at  Archimedes,  what 
wonderful  dodges  he  invented  for  the  defence  of  Syracuse !  " 

Sandwich  and  his  two  companions  laughed  loudly. 

"  I  am  afraid  there  is  no  Archimedes  here,  Bateman,  and 
you  must  put  up  with  the  ordinary  means  of  defence,  which 
do  not,  after  all,  succeed  so  badly.  We  have  held  out  for  a 
month  now,  and  at  the  end  of  another  month  we  shall  still  be 
in  possession  of  a  good  deal  of  ground;  but  by  that  time  I 
should  think  relief  must  be  at  hand,  even  allowing  for  the 
fact  that  there  will  be  troops  of  half  a  dozen  nationalities  in 
the  relieving  column  and  the  consequent  delays,  for  it  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  the  different  sections  will  work  well 
together.  Besides,  it  is  evident,  from  the  desultory  manner 


166  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

in  which  they  attack,  that  the  Chinese  are  very  much  divided 
among  themselves.  Look  at  the  way  they  get  guns  into  good 
positions  to  annoy  us,  and  then  fail  to  use  them.  If  they 
were  to  plant  cannon  all  round  us  and  keep  up  a  steady  fire, 
they  could  knock  all  the  Legations  to  pieces  in  the  course  of 
a  week.  This  must  be  due  to  disputes  among  the  leaders,  for 
we  know  that  the  Chinese  soldiers  are  obedient  as  well  as 
brave,  and  that  if  the  guns  are  not  used  it  can  be  from  no 
fault  on  their  part.  I  feel  very  confident,  therefore,  that 
even  without  the  assistance  of  an  Edison  or  an  Archimedes 
we  shall  manage  to  hold  out  till  relief  comes." 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  Sandwich  and  Rex  were  chatting 
together  in  their  own  quarters,  when  the  former  said: 
"  Those  cannon  will  soon  bring  the  whole  place  about  our 
ears.  They  have  already  done  terrible  damage.  To-day  three 
men  have  been  killed,  and  the  house  is  little  better  than  a 
ruin ;  it  is  impossible  for  men  to  stay  in  the  upper  floor." 

Rex  sat  silent  for  some  little  time,  and  then,  without  mak 
ing  a  remark,  got  up  and  went  to  find  Ah  Lo. 

"Ah  Lo,"  he  said,  "you  know  the  damage  those  guns 
across  the  market  have  been  doing  ? " 

"  Yes,  master,  very  serious.  Other  guns  not  do  so  much 
harm;  those  very  bad." 

"  Well,  I  am  thinking  that  I  might  go  out  and  silence 
them." 

Ah  Lo  looked  at  Rex  by  the  light  of  a  lantern,  which  was 
hanging  overhead,  to  see  if  he  were  speaking  in  earnest. 

"  Master  would  get  killed,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head. 

"  I  don't  think  so,  Ah  Lo.  Of  course  there  is  some  danger 
in  it,  but  I  think  that  it  might  be  managed." 

"  Ah  Lo  is  ready  to  go  with  his  master,  if  he  chooses  to  kill 
himself,"  the  Chinaman  said ;  "  but  killed  he  would  be  for 


ix  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  167 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  Rex  said.  "  Anyhow,  it  is  worth  the 
risk.  They  will  have  that  house  down,  and  the  wall  behind  it, 
if  they  are  allowed  to  go  on  much  longer.  Then  there  will 
be  a  fierce  rush  and  all  will  be  over." 

"  But  how  will  master  do  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  shall  take  a  hammer  and  a  long  spike  with  me, 
and  if  you  go  with  me — but  mind  you,  Ah  Lo,  I  don't  ask  you 
togo- 

"  You  must  take  me  too." 

"  Very  well  then,  as  only  two  guns  are  worrying  us,  you 
take  one  and  I  take  the  other.  We  can  do  it  in  half  a  minute. 
Of  course  you  must  manage  to  get  me  some  native  disguise, 
for  we  shall  have  to  mix  with  the  enemy  to  some  extent, 
they  are  sure  to  be  sitting  and  talking  round  the  guns.  And 
then  we  must  run  for  it." 

"  Can't  run  across  the  market.  We  know  that  there  are 
lots  of  them  in  the  houses  on  this  side  of  it." 

"  No,  I  quite  see  that,  Ah  Lo.  We  must  run  the  other 
way.  I  think  I  can  run  faster  than  most  Chinamen,  and  if 
we  get  a  start  of  a  few  yards,  which  is  likely,  as  they  will  not 
at  first  realize  what  has  been  done,  we  ought  to  be  able  to 
escape  and  find  a  secure  hiding-place.  Then  the  next  day  we 
can  work  our  way  back  at  some  point  the  enemy  are  not 
watching." 

"  Very  well,  master,"  Ah  Lo  said  in  a  more  hopeful  tone ; 
"  when  do  you  go,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  will  go  to-morrow  night,  as  we  shall  require  some  time 
to  make  our  preparations.  Mind,  you  are  not  to  say  a  word 
to  anyone  of  what  we  are  going  to  do,  for  if  he  heard  of  it, 
it  is  possible  that  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  would  stop  us." 

"  Ah  Lo  will  tell  nobody,  master.  It  is  all  the  same  to  him 
whether  he  is  killed  outside  or  starved  inside." 

Rex  went  to  bed,  and  lay  awake  for  some  time  thinking 


168  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

how  the  affair  had  best  be  managed.  He  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  the  only  way  would  be  to  lower  himself  by  a  rope 
from  the  end  of  the  burnt  library,  then  make  his  way  round 
and  come  up  to  the  guns  from  behind.  It  struck  him  that  it 
would  perhaps  be  advisable  to  tie  knots  in  the  rope  as  a  help 
to  them  when  they  were  climbing  back  again,  but  in  the  end 
he  decided  to  make  a  rope-ladder,  for  he  had  a  strong  idea 
that  neither  Ah  Lo  nor  himself  would  be  able  to  swarm  up  a 
rope.  When  morning  broke  he  went  down  to  the  store,  which 
he  unlocked,  and  after  rummaging  about  for  some  time  found 
a  long  rope,  two  hammers,  and  some  long  spike-nails.  He  hid 
the  hammers  and  spikes  in  his  bed,  and  then,  retiring  to  an 
unfrequented  corner  of  the  Residency,  he  soon  manufactured 
a  rope-ladder,  cutting  some  boughs  to  form  the  rungs.  This 
ladder  he  concealed  near  the  spot  where  he  intended  to  get 
over  the  wall. 

Later  in  the  day  Ah  Lo  brought  him  a  Chinese  dress. 

"  We  take  guns  with  us,  sir  ? " 

"No,  Ah  Lo,,  they  would  only  be  in  our  way  when  we 
wanted  to  run.  We  can,  however,  hide  our  swords  under  our 
clothes,  and  I  will  get  a  revolver  and  ammunition  for  you.  I 
can  borrow  them  from  Mr.  Sandwich,  telling  him  that  I  am 
going  on  guard,  and  that  my  own  weapon  has  somehow  got 
out  of  order." 

The  day  passed  off  quietly,  except  that  the  guns  across  the 
market  still  continued  to  batter  the  house  and  to  make  a 
breach  in  the  wall  behind  it.  Soon  after  midnight  Ah  Lo 
jjlned  his  master.  Rex's  disguise  had  been  laid  down  by  the 
rope-ladder,  and  as  soon  as  he  got  there  he  changed  and 
prepared  for  a  start.  They  got  safely  over  the  wall  and  then 
struck  off  in  a  direction  opposite  to  the  market.  For  some 
time  they  saw  no  one  in  the  streets,  but  as  they  got  farther 
away  they  here  and  there  met  people  hurrying  along,  evi- 


169 

dently  fearful  of  being  within  the  range  of  the  firing  from 
the  wall.  When  they  had  gone  some  distance  they  turned  and 
made  a  sweep  towards  the  market.  Xow  they  came  upon 
groups  of  soldiers.  Firing  had  ceased  for  the  day,  and  would 
not  begin  again  until  two  or  three  hours  before  daybreak. 
An  occasional  bullet  whistled  overhead,  showing  that  the 
garrison  were  on  the  alert;  for  although  the  firing  generally 
ended  with  the  day,  yet  fierce  attacks  were  often  made  during 
the  night. 

Rex  and  Ah  Lo  sauntered  quietly  about  among  the  soldiers, 
gradually  getting  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  spot  where  the 
guns  were  placed. 

"  I  suppose  we  can  look  at  them,"  said  Ah  Lo,  who  with 
several  others  was  standing  near  them. 

"  Certainly  you  can,"  the  man  said.  "  They  are  doing 
good  work.  In  another  couple  of  days  we  shall  have  the  wall 
down,  and  then  we  shall  finish  off  with  the  white  devils." 

"  That  is  good,"  Ah  Lo  said. 

"  They  have  been  here  too  long  as  it  is,  and  ought  to  be 
cleared  off  without  delay.  When  we  have  got  rid  of  the  last 
of  them  we  shall  be  our  own  masters  again.  They  are  always 
meddling  in  our  affairs,  just  as  if  they  were  our  masters 
instead  of  only  living  here  by  permission  of  the  Empress. 
They  even  venture  to  tell  us  what  we  should  do,  and  their 
bishops  get  made  mandarins,  and  then,  if  their  people  commit 
crimes,  they  will  not  have  them  punished.  We  have  put  up 
with  it  too  long;  now  we  are  going  to  make  an  end  of  it  once 
and  for  all." 

"  Quite  right !  "  Ah  Lo  said,  as  he  lounged  up  to  the  gun, 
for  at  that"  moment  Rex  moved  towards  the  other.  While 
they  pretended  to  be  examining  the  guns,  they  quietly  in 
serted  the  points  of  the  spikes  into  the  touch-holes.  Then 
Rex  looked  round.  The  moment  seemed  favourable.  Eight 


170  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

or  ten  soldiers  were  standing  close  to  them,  talking  over  the 
fighting  of  the  day,  and  the  prospect  of  making  a  breach  in 
the  morning.  Farther  back  other  soldiers  were  laughing, 
talking,  and  cooking  their  rice.  He  waited  a  minute,  and 
then  signalled  to  Ah  Lo.  On  the  instant  two  heavy  hammers 
fell  on  the  heads  of  the  spikes.  With  three  quick  strokes 
they  drove  them  up  to  the  head  in  the  touch-holes, 
then,  throwing  down  the  hammers,  they  started  off  at  full 
speed. 

The  soldiers  shouted  as  they  saw  the  spikes  being  driven 
in,  but  the  strikers  had  gone  some  thirty  or  forty  yards 
before  they  had  sufficiently  recovered  from  their  surprise  to 
think  of  pursuit.  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  increased  their  lead  to 
fifty  yards  before  their  pursuers  had  fairly  got  up  their  pace. 
They  turned  down  the  first  lane  they  came  to  and  then  down 
another.  Glancing  back,  Rex  saw  that  so  far  they  were  hold 
ing  their  own,  except  that  two  Boxers,  swifter  than  the  rest, 
were  some  yards  ahead  of  the  main  body  of  their  pursuers. 
The  Chinamen,  as  they  ran,  set  up  a  perpetual  shouting, 
which  did  not  improve  their  speed. 

"  We  must  get  rid  of  these  two  men,"  said  Rex,  speaking 
for  the  first  time  since  they  started.  "  Slacken  your  speed 
a  little  and  let  them  come  up  to  us,  then  suddenly  turn  round 
upon  them." 

"  All  right,  sir !  "  Ah  Lo  said. 

"  I  shall  use  my  revolver,  Ah  Lo,  you  can  use  either  your 
revolver  or  your  sword,  whichever  you  like." 

A  minute  later  the  two  foremost  of  the  pursuers  came 
rushing  upon  them,  but  the  sudden  pause  of  the  fugitives  had 
left  them  no  time  to  draw  their  swords.  Rex's  revolver 
cracked  out,  laying  one  of  them  low,  and  Ah  Lo,  using  his 
sword,  struck  the  other  with  such  force  that  he  nearly  decap 
itated  him.  There  was  a  shout  of  rage  from  the  party 


REX'S  KKYOLVKK  CRACKF.D  OUT. 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  171 

behind.  Rex  and  his  companion,  needless  to  say,  did  not  stop 
to  listen,  but  at  once  turned  and  continued  their  night.  They 
ran  down  till  they  were  brought  up  suddenly  at  the  end  of  a 
lane  where  a  house  rose  straight  in  front  of  them.  It  was  too 
late  to  retrace  their  steps. 

"  What  is  to  be  done,  master  ? "  Ah  Lo  asked. 

"  We  must  break  in  the  door,  if  it  is  not  open." 

The  first  door  they  tried,  however,  was  unfastened.  They 
entered,  shot  the  bolt  to,  and  ran  to  the  back  of  the  house. 
They  were  disappointed,  however,  for  there  was  no  opening 
through  which  they  could  escape.  Without  wasting  time 
they  turned  and  ran  upstairs  to  a  terrace  on  the  top  of  the 
house.  Here  a  number  of  clothes  napped  in  the  wind;  it  was 
evidently  the  family  drying-ground. 

"  We  can  defend  this  ladder  for  a  bit,  Ah  Lo,  but  they 
must  beat  us  in  the  end.  Let  us  scramble  up  to  the  other  end 
of  the  street." 

Looking  down  they  saw  that  the  lane  was  now  full  of 
soldiers,  some  of  whom  carried  lanterns.  It  was  no  easy 
matter  getting  along  on  the  roofs,  as  the  houses  were  irreg 
ular  in  height.  Sometimes  they  had  to  jump  down  ten  or 
twelve  feet,  at  others  to  help  each  other  up  walls  of  equal 
height.  They  were  some  distance  along  when  they  heard  a 
sudden  shout,  and  knew  that  their  pursuers  had  broken  down 
the  door  of  the  house  and  had  entered,  and  another  that  told 
that  the  enemy  had  gained  the  roof  and  found  that  it  was 
deserted.  In  a  short  time  lanterns  appeared  011  the  roofs  of 
some  of  the  houses,  but  the  fugitives  were  already  within  a 
house  or  two  of  the  end  of  the  lane. 

"  The  streets  are  full  of  people,"  Rex  said,  peering  over. 
"We  can't  get  down  here.  We  must  jump  upon  the  house 
behind;  it  is  four  or  five  feet  lower  than  this,  so  we  shall 
have  no  difficulty." 


172  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

Without  hesitation  he  stood  upon  the  parapet  behind  and 
leapt.  Ah  Lo  followed  his  example. 

"Now,"  said  Kex,  "let  us  run  down.  The  house  will 
probably  be  empty,  as  the  family  is  sure  to  run  out  to  see 
what  the  row  is  about." 

There  were,  indeed,  some  women  standing  in  the  lower 
room,  and  these  gave  a  cry  of  astonishment  when  the  two 
fugitives  rushed  past  them  through  the  open  door  and  joined 
the  people  who  were  hurrying  up  to  the  other  end  of  the 
lane.  Now  that  they  were  mixed  up  in  the  crowd,  Rex  felt 
that  there  was  little  fear  of  being  detected.  Only  the 
soldier  they  had  been  talking  to  would  know  their  faces,  and 
as  he  had  been  among  the  first  to  take  up  the  pursuit  he  must 
now  be  down  at  the  farther  end  of  the  next  lane,  or  more 
probably  on  the  roof  of  the  house  they  had  entered.  As  the 
crowd  was  already  very  dense,  he  could  not  possibly  make  his 
way  back. 

Suddenly  flames  broke  out  from  one  of  the  houses  they  had 
crossed,  and  soon  it  was  seen  that  other  houses  were  on  fire 
also.  A  cry  of  dismay  broke  from  the  Chinese  standing 
near.  They  were  accustomed  to  high-handed  proceedings,  for 
many  houses  had  been  burnt  by  the  Boxers  in  the  pursuit  of 
plunder  or  in  their  indignation  at  failing  to  find  any.  They 
had  now  evidently  fired  the  houses  as  the  easiest  way  of  de 
stroying  the  fugitives,  who  had  shown  that  they  would  sell 
their  lives  dearly. 

Gradually  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  withdrew  themselves  to  the 
edge  of  the  excited  crowd.  Many  of  the  people  were  already 
moving  off  to  carry  their  goods  from  the  houses  in  the  ad 
joining  lanes,  for  the  wind  was  blowing  strong,  and  there  was 
no  saying  how  far  the  conflagration  would  spread,  as  the 
houses  were  but  flimsy  erections,  being  composed  chiefly  of 
bamboo  and  mud,  which  would  catch  like  tinder  when  at- 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  173 

tacked  by  the  flame.  They  moved  away  from  the  scene  grad 
ually,  and  without  any  appearance  of  haste.  The  alarm  had 
evidently  spread  some  distance,  for  they  met  a  fire-bri 
gade  of  men  carying  tubs  of  water  slung  on  poles  hurrying 
towards  the  spot.  People  were  standing  at  their  doors  watch 
ing  the  blaze,  and  calculating  whether,  if  it  spread,  it  would 
come  their  way. 

"  Well,  Ah  Lo,"  Rex  said,  "  you  see  it  has  not  been  a  very 
dangerous  business  after  all,  and  if  those  two  soldiers  we 
killed  had  not  been  so  fast  we  might  have  got  away  without 
being  pressed  at  all." 

"  It  was  very  unfortunate  for  them,"  Ah  Lo  said  quietly, 
"  and  I  don't  suppose  they  knew  what  they  were  running 
for.  Very  few  of  them  could  have  known  that  we  had  spiked 
the  guns.  It  was  lucky  that  those  two  houses  were  so  close  to 
each  other  that  we  were  able  to  leap  across,  otherwise  they 
might  have  had  us." 

"  I  don't  think  they  would,  even  in  that  case,  Ah  Lo.  We 
might  really  have  gone  down  through  that  last  house  and 
joined  the  crowd  there." 

"  We  might,  master,  but  I  don't  think  we  could.  Everyone 
had  run  to  the  streets  by  that  time,  and  doubtless  many  were 
standing  at  their  doors,  and  would  have  noticed  two  strange 
men  running  behind  them." 

"  At  any  rate  we  are  well  out  of  it,  Ah  Lo.  We  can  now 
walk  quietly  round  and  go  up  our  ladder;  but  mind  you  do 
not  say  a  word  to  anyone  about  this  affair." 

"  Why  not,  master  ?  "  Ah  Lo  asked  in  surprise. 

"  For  two  or  three  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  the  gov 
ernor  might  blame  us  for  undertaking  a  business  of  that  sort 
without  asking  permission.  You  see,  although  I  did  not 
think  so  at  the  time,  any  Chinaman  coming  along  there  and 
seeing  that  ladder  might  have  gone  and  reported  the  fact, 


174  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  by  its  means  a  large  number  of  the  enemy  might  have 
crossed  the  wall  before  they  were  discovered,  and  the  safety 
of  the  garrison  would  then  have  been  endangered.  That  is 
one  reason.  The  next  is,  that  I  don't  want  everyone  to  be 
making  a  fuss  now  that  it  is  over.  Some  might  blame  me 
for  my  recklessness,  while  others  might  pat  me  on  the  back 
because  of  my  success.  That  is  a  thing  that  I  should  specially 
hate.  We  did  not  do  it  for  praise,  but  to  be  of  service  to 
the  garrison.  For  these  reasons  I  want  you  to  hold  your 
tongue,  and  not  whisper  a  word  to  anyone.  We  are  quite 
content  that  we  have  rendered  good  service  to  the  Legation, 
saved  many  lives,  and  put  the  garrison  in  a  position  to  repair 
damages  unmolested.  That  ought  to  be  satisfaction  enough 
for  anyone." 

"  Very  good,  master ;  Ah  Lo  will  keep  his  mouth  shut  if 
master  wishes  it.  He  is  not  a  talker,  and  now  that  he  knows 
what  master  wishes  he  will  do  it." 

Half  an  hour's  walking  brought  them  to  the  foot  of  the 
ladder,  and  having  climbed  over  the  wall  they  coiled  up  the 
rope  again,  and  Hex  took  it  to  the  magazine  and  put  it 
where  he  had  found  it.  Then,  satisfied  that  he  had  done  a 
good  piece  of  work,  he  went  and  lay  down  until  it  was  his 
turn  to  go  on  sentry. 

The  next  morning  there  was  considerable  surprise  when  it 
was  found  that  the  two  troublesome  guns  were  silent.  It 
was  some  time  before  there  was  any  thought  of  making  good 
the  damage,  but  as  the  hours  went  by,  and  there  was  still  no 
firing,  a  strong  body  of  men  was  put  on  to  repair  the  de 
fences  as  fast  as  possible. 

Many  were  the  surmises  and  conjectures  circulated  through 
the  Residency  as  to  the  cause  of  the  change.  Some  said  that 
the  Peace  party  had  again  got  the  upper  hand,  and  that 
fresh  terms  had  been  offered.  Others  asserted  that  fresh 


ix  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  175 

cannon  had  been  planted  round  the  Residency,  and  that  the 
others  were  to  hold  their  fire  till  these  were  ready  for  action, 
when  an  overwhelming  fire  would  be  poured  in.  Some  again 
were  of  opinion  that  the  soldiers  had  mutinied  on  account 
of  the  heavy  losses  they  had  sustained  without  making  any 
appreciable  progress,  while  a  few  maintained  that  the  reliev 
ing  army  must  be  near  at  hand,  and  that  every  fighting-man 
had  been  sent  out  to  oppose  them.  The  next  morning  Sand 
wich  came  into  the  room  where  Rex  was  eating  his  breakfast 
after  being  relieved  from  guard. 

"  You  know,  Rex,"  he  said  excitedly,  "  about  those  two 
guns  being  silenced." 

"  Yes.  I  suppose  everyone  in  the  Residency  knows  about 
it,"  Rex  replied  quietly. 

"  I  have  just  heard  a  report  that  your  servant  asserts  that 
it  was  your  doing." 

Rex  jumped  up  with  an  angry  exclamation. 

"  The  rascal !  I  will  break  every  bone  in  his  body.  He 
promised  me  faithfully  that  not  a  word  about  it  should  paes 
his  lips." 

"  Then  it  is  really  true  ? "  Sandwich  said  in  surprise. 

"  True !  Yes,  but  I  was  particularly  anxious  that  it  should 
not  be  known,  so  that  I  should  escape  the  fuss  that  people 
are  always  ready  to  make  about  every  little  thing.  I  will  go 
out  and  talk  to  Master  Ah  Lo.  I  can't  think  how  he  can  have 
spoken  about  it  after  his  promises  to  me,  for  he  has  always 
proved  himself  a  most  faithful  fellow.  I  can't  believe  he  did 
it  to  get  a  reward,  but  I  don't  see  any  other  motive  that  he 
can  have  had." 

So  saying  he  hurried  out  of  the  room,  followed  by  Sand 
wich,  who  in  vain  attempted  to  get  some  of  the  particulars 
from  him.  He  found  Ah  Lo  standing  with  the  Provost 
Marshal's  hand  on  his  shoulder. 


176  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  Your  servant  has  been  making  a  row,"  the  latter  said, 
"  and  thrashing  a  servant  of  the  Belgian  embassy." 

"Yes,  sir,  and  I  would  thrash  him  again,"  Ah  Lo  blurted 
out. 

"  What  has  he  done  ? "  Rex  asked,  calming  down  instantly 
on  seeing  his  man  in  this  predicament. 

"  It  was  like  this,  sir.  The  Belgian  man  came  up  to  three 
or  four  of  us  who  were  standing  together,  and  he  said,  .'Do 
you  know  who  did  it  ? '  So  we  all  said  '  No/  and  I  said  it  as 
loud  as  any  of  them.  Then  he  said  'I  did/  We  all  stood 
astonished,  one  as  much  as  the  other ;  and  he  went  on :  1 1 
crept  out  of  the  Russian  Legation  and  made  my  way  through 
the  market  and  got  up  to  the  guns  and  silenced  them ! ' 
Then,  sir,  I  was  furious,  and  I  shouted,  '  You  are  a  liar ! 
my  master  did  it/  and  I  seized  him  by  the  throat  and  beat 
him.  I  know  I  was  wrong,  master,  to  say  anything  about 
you,  but  my  rage  was  too  great  for  me  to  think  what  I  was 
saying.  Then  others  ran  in,  and  of  course  the  Provost  Mar 
shal  came,  and  having  once  said  it,  of  course  I  repeated  it." 

"You  were  wrong,  Ah  Lo,  but  at  the  same  time  I  can 
make  allowances  for  your  indignation.  Now  that  the  thing 
has  begun  it  must  be  gone  through  with.  Provost,  will  you 
take  this  man  before  Sir  Claude  Macdonald?  We  will  go 
too,  and  I  think  between  us  we  will  get  at  the  truth  of  the 
matter." 

"  I  am  ready,"  the  Belgian  said,  "  you  both  wish  to  win  my 
honour  and  reward  from  me,  after  my  risking  my  life.  Sir 
Claude  Macdonald  will  soon  see  which  story  is  true." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  he  will,"  Rex  said.  "  We  had  better  go 
at  once,  Provost,  or  we  shall  have  the  whole  of  the  Legation 
here,"  for  a  crowd  was  rapidly  gathering  round  them. 

When  they  reached  the  ambassador's  quarters  the  Provost 
went  in  first  to  acquaint  him  with  the  cause  of  the  dispute, 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP  177 

and  then  the  others  entered.  Sir  Claude  acknowledged  Rex's 
salute,  and  then,  turning  to  the  Belgian,  said:  "As  you 
seem  to  have  made  the  first  claim  to  this  honour,  I  shall  be 
obliged  if  you  will  give  me  the  account  of  how  you 
managed  it." 

"  I  went  out  through  the  back  of  the  Russian  embassy," 
the  man  said;  "there  is  a  little  tower  close  to  the  corner." 

"  Rut  that  is  known  to  be  full  of  Chinese." 

"  It  was  full,"  the  man  said,  "  but  they  were  all  asleep. 
Then  I  passed  through  the  market-place  unobserved." 

"How  was  that?"  Sir  Claude  asked.  "Only  the  night 
before  we  made  a  sortie,  and  found  the  place  held  in  great 
force." 

"  They  must  all  have  gone  out,"  the  man  said ;  "  I  saw  none 
of  them.  Then,  creeping  very  cautiously,  I  got  to  the  guns," 
he  continued.  "  The  soldiers  there  were  also  asleep,  and  I 
silenced  the  guns  without  difficulty." 

"  And  how  did  you  do  that? "  Sir  Claude  asked. 

"  I,"  the  man  hesitated,  "  poured  some  water  into  the 
touch-holes  from  the  pitcher  I  had  brought  with  me.  Then  I 
returned  the  way  that  I  had  come." 

Sir  Claude  waved  his  hand  with  a  gesture  of  contempt. 

"  Water  could  only  have  silenced  the  guns  for  five  min 
utes,"  he  said.  "  You  know  of  no  better  way  of  silencing 
them?" 

The  man  hesitated. 

"  I  might  have  thrown  them  off  the  carriage,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  was  afraid  of  doing  this,  as  it  might  have  awakened  the 
men." 

"  I  should  think  it  would,"  Sir  Claude  said  quietly,  "  and 
if  you  had  had  the  strength  of  ten  men  you  could  not  have 
got  them  over.  Mr.  Bateman,  will  you  kindly  give  me  your 
account  of  the  affair  ? " 


178  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  I  am  sorry,  sir,  to  give  any  account  at  all,  for  I  had 
particularly  ordered  my  servant  not  to  open  his  lips  on  the 
subject.  Enraged  at  this  fellow's  preposterous  claim,  how 
ever,  he  lost  his  temper  and  blurted  out  the  truth.  It  was 
a  very  simple  affair,  sir,  though  not  so  simple,  I  own,  as  this 
gentleman's  exploit,  for  I  did  not  find  the  whole  of  the 
Chinese  army  asleep."  He  then  related  the  steps  they  had 
taken,  their  pursuit  and  escape. 

"  You  agree  in  every  particular  with  what  your  master 
has  said  ? "  Sir  Claude  asked  Ah  Lo. 

"  He  tell  it  all  right;  just  so,  that  just  how  it  happen." 

"Provost  Marshal,"  Sir  Claude  said  quietly,  "take  that 
man  out  and  give  him  three  dozen  well  laid  on  for  his 
infamous  attempt  to  gain  credit  and  reward  at  the  expense 
of  others." 

The  Provost  bowed  and  left  the  room  with  his  prisoner, 
who  began  to  howl  for  mercy. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Bateman,"  Sir  Claude  said,  turning  to  Rex,  "  I 
hardly  know  whether  to  praise  or  blame  you.  This  is  the 
third  dangerous  expedition  you  have  made  on  your  own 
account,  and,  like  the  others,  it  has  been  successful.  Still, 
as  I  told  you  on  the  last  occasion,  while  shut  up  here,  you, 
although  a  civilian,  are  subject  to  military  rule,  and  it  is 
strictly  forbidden  for  anyone  to  leave  the  circle  of  the 
defences  without  permission.  For  doing  this  I  cannot  but 
speak  severely.  On  the  other  hand,  the  advantages  which 
have  been  attained  by  your  silencing  those  guns  are  quite 
inestimable.  Their  fire  menaced  our  defences  most  seriously, 
and  if  it  had  continued  many  hours  longer  we  should  have 
been  exposed  to  a  desperate  attack  by  that  half-frenzied  mob. 
That  attack  we  might  have  repulsed  or  we  might  not,  but 
assuredly  it  would  have  taxed  our  strength  to  the  utmost, 
and  even  if  the  first  had  been  unsuccessful,  the  second  might 


179 

not  have  been.  I  thank  you,  sir,  in  the  name  of  the  whole 
of  the  garrison,  foreign  as  well  as  British,  for  the  service 
you  have  rendered  us.  Already  the  defences  have  been  so 
far  repaired  as  to  enable  use  to  withstand  any  sudden  attack ; 
very  soon  they  will  be  still  stronger.  If  we  succeed  in 
winning  our  deliverance  and  holding  out  till  the  relieving 
column  arrives  it  will  be  to  no  small  extent  due  to  your 
courage  and  pluck.  It  must  add  considerably  to  your 
pleasure  to  know  that  your  cousins  are  among  those  who 
will  benefit  by  your  bravery." 

"  I  am  greatly  pleased  and  honoured  by  your  approval, 
sir,"  Rex  said,  "  but  I  would  very  much  rather  that  the  affair 
had  not  been  known  at  all.  I  carried  it  out  assuredly  with 
out  any  wish  of  gaining  credit,  but  simply  for  the  good  of 
the  garrison,  and  I  should  very  greatly  have  preferred  escap 
ing  the  talk  and  congratulation  that  I  shall  now  have  to 
submit  to." 

Sir  Claude  smiled. 

"  My  dear  lad,"  he  said,  "  it  is  only  right  that  the  great 
deeds  men  do  should  be  known,  if  only  as  an  example  to 
others.  If  we  all  shrank  from  danger  there  would  be  few 
great  deeds.  You  know  the  old  saying,  'to  the  victor  is  the 
wreath,'  and  it  is  only  right  that  it  should  be  so.  It  is  one 
thing  to  glorify  yourself  and  another  to  be  glorified  by 
others.  Ah  Lo,  here  are  fifty  guineas  from  me  as  a  mark 
of  my  approbation  of  the  manner  in  which  you  assisted  your 
master  in  carrying  out  this  undertaking." 

In  a  very  short  time  the  story  was  known  throughout  the 
Residencies,  and  Rex  received  so  many  congratulations  and 
so  much  praise  that  he  determined  to  leave  Pekin  as  soon  as 
possible  and  try  to  join  the  relieving  column. 


CHAPTER  X 

A   MISSION 

fllHE  next  morning  there  was  a  serious  alarm.  The  Italians 
•*-  and  Austrians  fell  back  suddenly  under  a  strong  and 
violent  attack,  and  had  the  Chinese  pressed  their  advantage 
the  Fu  must  have  fallen  and  the  British  Legation  have  been 
laid  open  to  attack  on  that  side.  Fortunately,  on  a  pre 
vious  occasion  the  Japanese  had  made  a  sham  retreat,  and, 
having  induced  the  enemy  to  follow  them,  had  then  inflicted 
heavy  loss  upon  them.  Fearing  a  renewal  of  this  strategy  the 
Chinese  fell  back,  and  the  Italian  commander  was  able  to 
rally  his  forces  and  reoccupy  the  abandoned  position.  The 
result  showed,  however,  that  the  Italians  could  not  be  trusted 
to  hold  their  ground  without  support,  and  consequently  a 
small  body  of  British  marines  were  added  to  the  garrison,  an 
event  that  caused  almost  as  much  excitement  as  the  return  of 
a  native  messenger  sent  out  in  the  morning  by  Mr.  Squiers 
of  the  United  States  Legation. 

This  man  reported  that  he  had  gone  out  by  one  gate  and 
had  come  in  by  another.  He  said  there  were  no  soldiers  in 
the  Chinese  city,  that  business  was  being  carried  on  as  usual 
inside  the  Chien  Men,  the  gate  by  which  Rex  had  entered 
the  city.  To  prove  his  statement  he  brought  in  with  him  a 
couple  of  chickens  and  a  few  peaches.  He  also  reported  that 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  were  still  in  the  city,  and  that  the 
French  and  native  converts  still  held  out  at  the  North 
Cathedral. 

180 


A    MISSION  181 

While  discussing  the  matter  afterwards  Bex  said  to  Sand 
wich:  "The  report  quite  bears  out  what  I  have  said;  there 
is  no  difficulty  in  going  out  of  or  getting  into  the  city  from 
the  north  side." 

"  That  seems  to  be  so,  but  that  does  not  show  that  it  is  at 
all  easy  to  enter  the  Forbidden  City,  still  less  to  reach  the 
Empress.  The  question  is:  Where  is  Prince  Ching?  It 
seems  to  me  that  he  is  the  chap  that  we  want  to  get  hold  of." 

"  It  is  certain  that  he  disapproves  altogether  of  the  pro 
ceedings  of  the  Empress  and  Prince  Tung,  and  the  sounds 
of  firing  which  we  have  heard  several  times  in  the  city  can 
only  be  accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that  his  troops  are 
fighting  Tung's.  Of  course  Ching  lives  somewhere  in  the 
Imperial  City,  and  as  the  Northern  Cathedral  stands  in  that 
part,  there  must  be  some  way  of  getting  in." 

"  You  are  not  thinking  of  carrying  him  off,  are  you  ? " 

"  No,  I  should  like  to  carry  Tung  off,  so  that  we  could 
stick  him  up  in  some  prominent  position  and  send  him  word 
that  we  should  cut  his  head  off  if  the  troops  attacking  us  did 
not  withdraw.  No,  I  had  no  intention  of  doing  any  carrying- 
off,  but  I  was  thinking  that  it  would  be  possible  to  take  out  a 
message  to  Ching  of  a  friendly  character,  of  course  from  Sir 
Claude." 

"  That  is  not  quite  such  an  impossible  business,"  Sand 
wich  admitted,  "  though  the  betting  would  be  a  hundred  to 
one  against  your  being  able  to  see  him." 

"  Well,  of  course,  it  would  be  difficult,  but  one  could  not 
say  how  difficult  till  one  tried.  Nevertheless,  as  that  mes 
senger  went  out  this  morning  and  came  in  again,  it  is 
evident  that  things  are  going  on  pretty  well  as  usual  in  the 
town,  except  round  here,  and  that  people  walk  about  without 
being  questioned  or  interfered  with." 

Rex  thought  the  matter  over  all  day  while  he  wag  at  work, 


182  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  after  his  duty  was  over  went  into  the  Residency  and 
asked  to  see  the  Minister.  After  waiting  half  an  hour  he 
was  shown  in. 

"  How  are  you,  Mr.  Bateman  ?  "  Sir  Claude  said.  "  I  have 
not  seen  you  for  the  past  fortnight.  Can  I  do  anything  for 
you?" 

"  Well,  sir,  you  know  that  this  morning  one  of  the  natives 
under  Mr.  Squiers  went  into  the  town  and  came  out  again 
safely  ? " 

The  Minister  nodded. 

"  Well,  sir,  what  one  man  has  done  another  might  do.  I 
have  thought  that  you  might  like  to  communicate  with 
Prince  Ching." 

"  I  should  certainly  like  to  do  so  if  it  were  possible." 

"  In  that  case,  sir,  I  should  be  glad  to  try  to  take  a  com 
munication  to  him.  I  have  passed  out  several  times  as  a 
Chinaman  without  exciting  the  slightest  suspicion,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  could  at  any  rate  reach  Ching's  Palace 
without  any  special  danger.  How  I  should  obtain  an  audience 
with  him  would,  of  course,  depend  upon  circumstances,  and  I 
should  guide  myself  by  these  when  I  got  there.  I  do  not  at 
all  say  that  I  should  succeed,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would 
be  well  worth  trying  if  you  are  desirous  of  communicating 
with  him." 

"  It  is  a  bold  proposal,  Mr.  Bateman,  a  very  bold  proposal. 
Certainly  I  should  like  to  communicate  with  Ching,  and  to 
learn  from  him  how  he  really  stands  affected  towards  us, 
what  the  Empress's  intentions  are,  and  to  what  extent  Tung 
and  his  partisans  influence  her.  Of  course  it  would  be  a 
joint  letter,  signed  by  all  of  us — but  it  would  be  a  fearfully 
dangerous  service.  As  he  is  at  enmity  with  Tung,  and  prob 
ably  in  bad  repute  with  the  Empress,  he  would  he  sure  to  be 
surrounded  with  guards  and  soldiers.  Even  if  you  were  to 


A    MISSION  183 

reach  him,  you  might  not  be  safe.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
trouble,  he  certainly  assured  us  of  his  regard^  and  did  his 
best  to  prevent  Tung  and  the  Boxers  from  attacking  us,  but 
there  is  no  saying  what  his  opinions  may  be  now.  Seeing 
how  far  the  others  have  gone,  he  may  have  ceased  to  oppose 
them,  and  might  either  have  you  put  to  death  or  hand  you 
over  to  the  Empress." 

"  I  am  perfectly  well  aware  that  there  is  danger,  sir,  but 
if  there  is  a  chance  of  my  mission  succeeding,  or  of  con 
ferring  any  benefit  upon  all  here,  I  should  be  ready  to  under 
take  it.  I  do  not  engage  to  deliver  the  communication,  but 
I  will  at  least  do  all  in  my  power  to  do  so.  Everyone  here  is 
risking  his  life  every  half-hour,  and  I  do  not  think  that  I 
should  be  risking  mine  to  any  greater  extent  than  the  officers 
in  the  Fu,  or  indeed  those  at  any  of  the  barricades." 

"  At  any  rate,  Mr.  Bateman,  I  thank  you  for  the  offer.  We 
shall  have,  as  usual,  a  council  this  evening  of  all  the  Min 
isters,  and  I  will  discuss  your  offer  with  my  colleagues.  Have 
you  thought  what  character  you  will  go  in  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  either  a  Chinese  bonze  or  a  Buddhist  priest. 
It  seems  to  me  that  in  either  of  these  I  should  find  it  easier 
to  obtain  access  to  him  than  in  any  other  character,  except 
perhaps  in  that  of  a  high-class  mandarin.  This  would  be  in 
several  respects  the  best,  but  I  should  have  to  be  attended  by 
at  least  four  men.  Of  course  my  own  man  could  be  one, 
and  the  others  could  be  natives  got  up  in  suitable  attire." 

"  That  would  certainly  be  the  most  appropriate.  Perhaps 
as  a  second-  or  third-class  mandarin,  writh  two  attendants, 
you  might  succeed  as  well.  If  you  went  as  a  first-class  man 
darin  you  might  easily  be  recognized;  whereas,  as  a  third- 
class  mandarin  you  might  have  arrived  from  the  provinces 
and  so  be  unknown.  Well,  I  will  think  it  over,  Mr.  Bateman. 
I  should  certainly  be  very  glad  to  learn  what  Ching's  real 


184  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO  TEKIN 

opinions  are,  and  how  far  he  will  be  inclined  to  aid  us.  Will 
you  look  in  again  to-night  at  ten  o'clock  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,  and  I  hope  you  will  have  decided  to  make  me 
useful." 

Rex  said  nothing  either  to  his  cousins  or  to  Sandwich  of 
the  offer  he  had  made,  but  he  had  a  long  talk  with  Ah  Lo 
about  it. 

"  I  don't  think  there  will  be  any  difficulty  in  getting  to  the 
king's  palace,  master,  but  I  cannot  say  whether  you  could 
get  into  the  palace.  Ching  will  no  doubt  always  have  people 
with  him.  If  he  has,  what  would  you  say?  You  could  not 
declare  who  you  were  before  others." 

"  No.    I  agree  that  that  would  be  a  difficulty." 

"  I  should  be  afraid  that  he  would  always  have  people  with 
him." 

"Yes.  I  rather  reckon  upon  there  being  a  crowd.  I  ex 
pect  the  ante-room  would  be  full,  and  my  idea  is  that,  if 
possible,  I  should  slip  away  from  the  crowd  and  gain  his 
private  apartments,  so  that  I  might  meet  him  after  he  had 
given  his  audience  for  the  day.  If  I  found  that  impossible, 
I  should  have  to  pray,  when  my  time  to  speak  to  him  came, 
for  a  private  audience.  If  he  demurred  to  this  I  could  hand 
him  my  card,  on  which  would  be  written  in  Chinese  that  I 
had  come  from  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  and  implored  a  private 
interview.  Of  course  it  is  possible  that  he  might  order  me 
to  be  arrested,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  he  would  see  me.  It 
is  just  a  toss-up.  If  he  is  really  friendly  to  us,  I  should  be 
safe.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  has  only  been  playing,  as  so 
many  of  them  do  play,  a  double  part,  he  might  send  me  to 
Tung  or  the  Empress  for  instant  execution.  In  that  case, 
of  course,  my  only  chance  would  be  that  you  and  the  three 
men  with  you  could  effect  a  rescue,  and  that,  of  course,  must 
depend  on  how  many  guards  are  sent  with  me." 


A   MISSION  185 

At  the  appointed  hour  Rex  again  went  to  the  quarters  of 
the  British  Ambassador. 

"  We  have  talked  the  matter  over,  Mr.  Bateman.  It  is  not 
a  mission  that  we  should  think  of  asking  anyone  to  under 
take,  but  undoubtedly  good  might  come  of  it,  and  at  any 
rate,  you  will  gather  much  valuable  information.  We  there 
fore  do  not  like  to  decline  the  offer  you  have  made,  so  to 
morrow  morning  we  will  have  a  letter  to  Ching  written. 
What  disguise  have  you  settled  upon  ? " 

"  I  think,  sir,  a  mandarin  of  the  third  or  fourth  class 
would  be  the  most  suitable." 

"  The  only  thing  against  that  is  that  we  have  no  appro 
priate  clothes  and  no  means  of  obtaining  them." 

"  I  was  afraid  that  might  be  so,  sir.  In  that  case  I 
might  either  be  a  Buddhist  priest,  whose  garments  could  be 
made  out  of  anything,  or  a  respectable  land-owner,  who  might 
reasonably  wish  to  hand  in  some  petition  or  complaint  of 
bad  conduct  on  the  part  of  Ching's  troops,  or  to  ask  for  an 
order  of  protection  against  them." 

"  That  would  be  certainly  much  easier,  so  far  as  the 
costume  goes.  A  land-owner  might  very  well  have  a  couple 
of  armed  retainers,  and  would,  I  should  think,  have  as  good 
a  chance  of  obtaining  an  audience  as  a  mandarin  of  low 
rank." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  a  map  of  the  town,  sir,  in 
order  that  I  may  see  the  exact  position  of  the  prince's 
palace." 

"That  is  easy  enough";  and  Sir  Claude  opened  a  bureau 
and  drew  out  a  large  map. 

"  That  is  Ching's  palace,"  he  said ;  "  it  is,  as  you  see,  by 
the  side  of  the  lake,  about  half-way  between  the  Northern 
Cathedral  and  the  bridge  across  the  lake." 

Rex  examined  the  map  carefully. 


180  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  Thank  you,  sir !  "  he  said  when  he  had  finished.  "  I  shall 
be  able  to  make  my  way  there  without  difficulty." 

"  I  will  give  orders  for  the  dress  to  be  made ;  that  and  the 
letter  to  Ching  shall  be  ready  to-morrow  afternoon,  and  I 
will  request  Mr.  Cockburn  to  choose  one  of  his  most  reliable 
men  to  accompany  your  man  as  an  attendant.  I  need  hardly 
say  that  it  would  be  well  not  to  mention  to  anyone  what  you 
are  going  to  do.  We  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  in 
some  way  or  other  the  Chinese  get  accurate  information  of 
all  that  passes  here.  Will  you  go  out  in  broad  daylight  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  could  scarcely  hope  to  get  out  in  that  way. 
The  Chinese  are  quietest  toward  morning,  and  by  sallying 
out  from  the  barricade  near  the  Russian  Consulate,  I  may  be 
able  to  pass,  as  Mr.  Squiers's  messenger  did,  through  the 
Chien  Men.  Once  through  that,  I  should  be  perfectly  safe, 
and  could  go  round  and  enter  by  the  Si  Chi  Men.  After 
that  I  should  be  quite  master  of  my  own  movements,  and, 
making  my  way  round  behind  the  city,  might  enter  the 
Imperial  City  by  the  How  Men,  and,  passing  between  the 
Northern  Cathedral  and  wall,  make  my  way  to  Prince 
Ching's  palace.  The  fact  that  I  was  going  with  a  petition 
to  him  would  be  sufficient  as  an  answer  to  any  enquiries  that 
might  be  made.  It  would  be  well  that  I  should  be  furnished 
with  a  set  of  petitions  in  the  usual  form,  asking  for  pro 
tection  against  the  rough  doings  of  some  of  his  soldiers  who 
had  carried  off  several  of  my  beasts  and  threatened  me  with 
personal  violence." 

"  A  very  good  idea ;  that  shall  be  ready  for  you  with  my 
letter." 

At  two  o'clock  the  next  day  Hex  obtained  the  documents, 
together  with  a  pass  to  let  him  through  the  barricade,  and 
some  clothes  that  had  been  made  for  him,  appropriate  to  the 
character  that  he  was  going  to  assume.  Going  to  Mr.  Cock- 


A   MISSION  187 

burn  he  found  the  native  ready  for  him.  He  was  a  strong, 
powerful  man,  who  carried  a  native  shield  and  a  long  broad 
sword  and  dagger,  and  who  would  have  attracted  no  notice 
as  a  retainer  of  a  well-to-do  farmer.  Ah  Lo  had  obtained 
similar  weapons  from  a  heap  of  those  that  had  been  taken 
from  the  enemy  who  had  fallen  in  the  attacks  upon  our 
barricades.  Rex  directed  the  Chinaman  to  join  Ah  Lo  in 
the  evening,  and  to  keep  by  his  side.  He  himself  passed  the 
evening  as  usual  with  his  friends. 

The  next  morning  at  four  o'clock  he  put  on  his  disguise. 
After  the  others  had  gone  to  sleep  he  had  got  up  and  shaved 
his  head,  with  the  exception  of  a  top  knot,  and  to  this,  before 
starting,  he  fastened  a  pig-tail,  which  he  curled  up  under  a 
broad  native  hat.  He  placed  his  pistols  out  of  sight  under 
his  girdle  and  put  on  a  native  sword.  Then  he  made  his 
way  out  to  the  spot  where  Ah  Lo  and  the  other  man  were 
lying.  Both  of  them  were  awake,  and  at  once  rose  and 
followed  him.  The  Russian  officer  in  charge  of  the  barricade 
made  some  little  demur  at  allowing  him  to  go  out,  in  spite 
of  the  pass,  but  when  Rex  made  himself  known  to  him  he 
changed  his  attitude.  The  officer  looked  at  him  in  sur 
prise. 

"You  are  well  disguised,  indeed,  Mr.  Bateman,"  he  said; 
"  even  knowing  you  as  well  as  I  do,  I  should  not  recognize 
you.  You  are  going  on  a  mission,  I  suppose?" 

"  Yes,  I  am  going  to  see  what  the  state  of  things  is  in  the 
town." 

Keeping  carefully  in  the  shadow  of  such  houses  as  were 
still  standing,  Rex,  followed  by  the  two  men,  made  his  way 
along  noiselessly,  and,  reaching  the  Tung  Pien  Men,  passed 
out  without  interruption.  They  walked  on  till  they  were 
near  the  next  gate,  and  when  day  had  fairly  broken, 
and  the  country  people  had  begun  to  arrive,  they  entered 


188  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

with  them  and  then  moved  quietly  along  the  streets,  looking 
into  the  shops.  No  one  paid  the  slightest  attention  to  them. 
There  were  many  soldiers  about,  but  few  Boxers,  who  ap 
peared  to  have  fallen  quite  into  the  background  since  the 
regular  troops  took  the  siege  in  hand.  It  was  supposed  that 
they  had  been  sent  out  of  the  city  to  be  drilled  and  dis 
ciplined  by  regular  officers,  as  these  men  were  far  more 
turbulent  than  the  regular  soldiers,  whose  conduct  was 
orderly,  and  who  in  no  way  interfered  with  the  populace. 
Their  disappearance  greatly  diminished  the  danger  of  pas 
sage  through  the  streets. 

It  took  the  little  party  two  or  three  hours  to  make  the 
circuit  of  the  walls  of  the  Imperial  City.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  gate  near  the  Northern  Cathedral  Rex  was 
glad  to  find  that  the  French  priests  and  their  Christian  con 
verts  were  still  holding  out  gallantly.  Nevertheless  he  could 
not  help  feeling  great  anxiety  for  them.  The  position  was 
certainly  a  strong  one,  but  it  seemed  hardly  possible  that 
sufficient  food  could  have  been  collected  to  enable  them  to 
support  themselves  during  a  prolonged  siege.  From  this 
point  he  went  round  towards  Prince  Ching's  palace.  Many 
soldiers  were  loitering  about  in  front  of  the  palace,  and 
people  of  all  sorts — officers,  peasants,  merchants,  and  others 
— were  going  in  and  out.  Leaving  his  followers  he  entered 
the  large  hall.  No  questions  were  asked,  and  after  waiting 
a  short  time  he  went  up  to  one  of  the  officials. 

"  I  desire  an  audience  with  the  prince,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  the  man  said,  "  you  see  how  many  there  are  be 
fore  you.  There  is  little  chance  that  you  will  get  an  audi 
ence  to-day." 

"This  is  an  urgent  matter,"  Eex  said,  and  slipped  four 
taels  into  the  man's  hand. 

The  official  nodded  significantly,  and  half  an  hour  later 


A   MISSION  189 

showed  him  into  the  apartment  where  Ching  was  sitting  with 
two  or  three  secretaries. 

Rex  bowed  to  the  ground. 

"  Your  servant  would  request  a  private  audience,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  letters  of  importance  to  submit  to  your  Excellency, 
and  pray  that  you  will  receive  me  in  private." 

After  a  moment's  hesitation  the  prince  signed  to  the  secre 
taries  to  withdraw. 

"  Your  Highness,"  Rex  continued,  as  soon  as  they  were 
alone,  "  I  am  not  what  I  seem.  I  have  come  as  a  messenger 
from  the  British  Minister,  but  as  I  could  not  make  my  way 
through  the  streets  in  my  own  costume,  I  have  been  obliged 
to  adopt  a  disguise." 

"  The  disguise  is  good,"  the  prince  said.  "  I  should  cer 
tainly  have  taken  you  for  what  you  pretend  to  be." 

Rex  handed  to  him  the  Minister's  letter.  The  prince  read 
it  carefully. 

"  I  am  anxious,"  he  said,  "  to  bring  about  peace,  and  have 
kept  my  soldiers  from  joining  in  the  attack  011  the  Legations. 
Unfortunately  I  can  do  little  more.  The  Empress  listens  to 
the  advice  of  Prince  Tung  and  Prince  Tuau.  Hitherto  at 
times  she  has  inclined  towards  my  advice,  but  unfortunately 
her  sympathies  are  the  other  way.  At  present,  however,  she 
begins  to  doubt  whether  she  has  been  wise  in  incurring  the 
enmity  of  all  the  European  powers  together.  I  had  an  inter 
view  with  her  last  night,  and  pointed  out  that  Japan  alone 
had  in  the  last  war  proved  herself  victorious  over  us.  Since 
then  our  army  has  undoubtedly  increased  in  strength,  has 
obtained  large  quantities  of  modern  weapons,  and  has  gained 
in  discipline.  At  the  same  time  we  are  now  opposed  not  by 
the  Japanese  alone,  but  by  the  Russians  and  all  the  European 
powers.  We  might,  it  is  true,  overcome  the  Legations,  but 
of  what  real  benefit  would  that  be  to  us  ?  Before  three  months 


190  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

had  passed,  an  army  of  overwhelming  strength  would  advance 
against  Pekin,  and  no  force  that  we  could  raise  would  have 
any  chance  of  victory  against  it.  What  would  be  the  conse 
quence?  We  should  have  to  submit,  as  we  have  done  in 
previous  wars,  to  great  losses  of  territory,  to  the  payment  of 
a  vast  sum  of  money,  and  possibly  even  the  dynasty  would 
be  endangered. 

<f  The  Empress  listened  to  my  arguments,  but  said  that  we 
had  gone  too  far  now  to  draw  back.  However,  she  said  that 
she  would  turn  the  matter  over  in  her  mind.  I  have  seen  a 
considerable  change  in  her  demeanour  in  the  last  four  or  five 
days.  Up  to  that  time  she  would  not  even  listen  to  me, 
and  although  she  has  always  shown  great  friendship  for  me, 
I  have  expected  every  day  to  be  relieved  from  all  my  func 
tions.  But  the  failure  of  the  attempts  of  her  troops  to 
capture  the  Legations,  as  she  had  been  assured  by  her  ad 
visers  they  would  do,  have  preyed  upon  her.  She  is  restless 
and  irritable,  and  I  believe  she  begins  to  doubt. 

"  The  British  Minister  begs  me  to  try  to  intervene  again, 
and  bring  about  a  truce,  until,  at  any  rate,  the  course  of 
events  at  Tientsin  is  seen.  At  present  there  is  hard  fighting 
going  on  round  that  place.  It  is  difficult  even  for  us  to  know 
what  is  passing,  for  naturally  your  commanders  get  the  best 
of  matters.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  we  are  not  gaining 
ground,  and  that  in  a  very  short  time  many  troops  will  come 
up  from  tKe  ships.  I  am  to  see  the  Empress  again  this 
evening,  and  will  use  all  my  efforts  to  get  her  to  order  that 
hostilities  shall  cease  for  the  present.  I  can  point  out  that 
she  cannot  lose  by  so  doing;  the  provisions  must  be  running 
short,  and  your  people,  if  they  find  that  no  relief  can  come 
to  them,  will  be  forced  to  surrender  without  further  fighting. 
I  shall  urge  upon  her  that  these  continued  repulses  of  their 
attacks  can  but  dishearten  her  troops,  and  that  in  all  respects 


A   MISSION"  191 

she  will  benefit  by  a  cessation  of  the  fighting.  I  think  that 
she  is  more  and  more  coming  to  doubt  whether  she  has  acted 
wisely  in  allowing  Prince  Tung  and  the  others  of  that  party 
to  influence  her.  A  week  ago  I  had  lost  all  influence  over 
her;  now,  although  I  am  by  no  means  restored  to  favour,  she 
listens  to  me  with  more  patience. 

"  Well,  will  you  tell  your  Minister  that  I  do  not  like  to 
write  to  him,  because  you  may  be  detected  and  seized  on 
your  way  back,  but  that  I  am  still  friendly  to  you  all,  and 
will  do  my  best  this  evening  to  bring  about  the  cessation  of 
hostilities.  Say  that  although  I  may  fail  this  time  I  feel 
sure  that  the  attacks  will  cease  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  two, 
for  I  know  that  there  is  considerable  discontent  amongst  the 
troops  at  the  loss  that  they  are  suffering  and  their  failure 
to  make  headway.  They  are  also  greatly  dissatisfied  with 
their  leaders,  and  say  that  if  they  were  all  ordered  to  attack 
at  once,  instead  of  merely  firing  from  a  distance,  they  would 
certainly  succeed.  Will  you  say  to  the  British  Minister  that 
I  most  cordially  reciprocate  his  assurance  of  good-will,  and 
trust  that  in  the  future  I  may  again  have  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  him  personally.  If  I  am  successful  this  evening 
I  shall  take  means  to  inform  him  that  all  serious  attacks 
will  cease.  I  do  not  say  that  there  may  be  no  more  firing, 
for  the  troops  are  very  much  out  of  hand,  and  we  cannot 
leave  the  Boxers  out  of  account.  There  may,  therefore,  be 
desultory  firing,  but  no  real  attack,  unless  indeed  an  army 
is  advancing  against  us,  in  which  case  I  fear  there  will  be 
a  renewal  of  hard  fighting,  in  the  first  place  because  the 
troops  will  be  worked  up  to  a  state  of  fury,  and  in  the  second 
because  Prince  Tung  and  the  others  will  desire  above  all 
things  to  get  the  occupants  of  the  Legations  into  their  power 
to  use  them  as  hostages  for  obtaining  good  terms  for  them 
selves." 


192  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  I  am  indeed  greatly  obliged  to  your  Highness,"  said  Rex. 
"  May  I  ask  if  you  will  place  your  signature  to  this  petition 
of  mine  that  my  farm  is  to  be  respected  by  all  bodies  of 
troops  or  Boxers?  that  will  secure  my  passage  out  of  the 
town  if  I  should  be  interrogated." 

"  A  wise  precaution,"  the  prince  said,  as  he  attached  his 
signature  to  the  paper.  "  You  are  a  brave  young  man ;  what 
is  your  name  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Bateman,"  Rex  replied.  "  I  am  not  a  resi 
dent  of  Pekin,  and  am  only  here  because  I  brought  two 
young  ladies,  relations  of  mine,  from  Chafui,  where  they 
were  in  danger  of  being  slain,  their  father  and  mother  and 
the  other  members  of  the  missionary  settlement  having  been 
already  murdered." 

A  flash  of  amusement  passed  over  the  usually  impassive 
face  of  the  prince. 

"  I  heard,"  he  said,  "  that  the  governor's  yamen  was  burned, 
and  the  report  of  the  affair  stated  that  two  female  captives, 
who  were  to  have  been  executed  on  the  following  day,  per 
ished.  It  is  possible  that  you  had  a  hand  in  that." 

Rex   smiled. 

"I  had  a  little  to  do  with  it,  your  Highness,  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  the  two  captives  did  not  perish  there." 

"  I  will  ask  no  questions,"  the  prince  said ;  "  it  is  clear  that 
you  are  a  brave  young  man,  and  I  trust  that  whatever 
happens  here  you  will  escape." 

Rex  now  took  his  leave.  The  people  in  the  ante-room 
looked  at  him  with  some  curiosity  and  not  without  hostility 
because  of  the  time  that  his  interview  had  lasted.  He  passed 
out  quietly,  however,  without  looking  to  right  or  left,  and 
made  his  way  towards  the  cathedral,  where  he  was  joined  by 
his  followers.  He  had  a  vague  hope  that  he  might  be  able  to 
communicate  with  those  besieged  in  the  cathedral  and  learn 


A   MISSION  193 

the  state  of  their  supplies,  but  he  found  that  the  investment 
of  the  place  was  complete.  The  cathedral  and  the  adjoining 
building,  however,  were  very  strong,  and  he  felt  sure  that  they 
could  repel  every  attack,  and  that  if  they  yielded  it  must  be 
to  famine. 

Making  his  way  through  the  town  he  was  more  than  once 
stopped  and  questioned  by  bodies  of  soldiers;  but  his  story, 
supported  as  it  was  by  Prince  Ching's  signature  to  his  peti 
tion,  at  once  removed  all  suspicion,  and  he  sallied  out 
through  the  Si  Chi  Men  without  hindrance.  He  remained 
in  the  fields  until  after  dark,  then  entered  by  the  Tung  Pien 
Men,  and  made  his  way  along  the  foot  of  the  wall  in  the 
Chinese  city  till  he  reached  the  end  of  Legation  Street. 
Shots  were  being  exchanged  with  such  frequency  that  he  did 
not  dare  to  go  farther,  so  he  and  his  followers  lay  down  in 
the  ruin  of  the  American  Methodist  building.  Towards 
morning,  the  firing  having  ceased,  they  crawled  forward  to 
within  fifty  yards  of  the  barrier,  then,  standing  up,  ran  for 
ward,  Rex  shouting :  "  Don't  fire,  I  am  an  Englishman." 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  the  sergeant  at  the  post. 

"  My  name  is  Bateman,"  said  Rex,  "  and  I  have  been  to 
the  town  on  a  mission  from  the  British  Minister." 

"  Well,  you  had  better  climb  over,  whoever  you  are,"  the 
sergeant  said.  "  We  can  question  you  when  you  get  inside, 
but  you  will  be  shot  in  less  than  no  time  if  you  stop 
there." 

As  he  spoke  a  rifle  cracked  out  and  the  ball  struck  a  stone 
within  an  inch  or  two  of  Rex's  head.  He  and  his  followers 
scrambled  over  the  barricade  with  alacrity,  and,  having  satis 
fied  the  guard  of  their  identity,  passed  on  through  the  Rus 
sian  Legation  to  the  British  head-quarters.  He  went  straight 
to  the  room  occupied  by  the  students.  Half  of  his  comrades 
were  away  on  guard,  but  Sandwich  was  in. 


194  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  So  you  are  back  again,  Bateman !  "  Sandwich  exclaimed. 
"  You  have  as  many  lives  as  a  cat." 

"  Well,  I  have  run  no  risks  this  time.  I  have  scarce  had  a 
question  asked  me  since  I  left.  There  is  really  no  reason 
whatever  why  natives  from  here  shouldn't  go  regularly  into 
the  city,  providing  they  can  get  rid  of  whatever  it  is  that 
shows  that  they  are  Christians." 

"  And  you  mean  to  say  that  you  really  had  an  interview 
with  Prince  Ching  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  really  done  so,  and  I  found  him  a  very  civil 
old  Chinaman,  and  very  well  disposed  towards  us.  He  is 
going  to  try  to  bring  about  an  armistice." 

As  soon  as  Rex  had  changed  his  clothes  he  went  to  the 
Minister's  and  related  to  him  the  interview  he  had  had  with 
Prince  Ching. 

:<  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Bateman.  What  you 
tell  me  confirms  the  view  that  we  have  all  along  held,  that 
Ching  and  some  of  the  other  Chinese  officials  are  altogether 
opposed  to  the  proceedings  of  Prince  Tung.  I  can  only  hope 
that  his  influence  will  this  time  prevail,  and  that  the  Chinese 
will  grant  an  armistice.  I  don't  suppose  that  such  an  agree 
ment  will  be  well  kept,  but  at  least  we  shall  have  an  easier 
time  of  it.  It  is  probable  that  stirring  events  are  going  on  at 
Tientsin.  We  know  that  the  Taku  Forts  have  been  taken, 
and  the  Chinese  may  be  willing  to  hold  their  hands  until 
they  see  the  result.  They  must  know  that  provisions  here 
will  run  short  soon,  and  as  they  lose  heavily  in  every  fight  it 
would  be  easier  for  them  to  wait  and  let  famine  do  its  work." 

Two  hours  later  a  bugle  was  blown  and  a  man  came  in 
with  a  letter  from  Prince  Ching  saying  that  he  heard  with 
gratification  that  the  Foreign  Ministers  were  all  well,  and 
that  he  now  requested  them  to  take  their  families  and  the 
members  of  their  staff  and  leave  the  Legations  in  detach- 


A  MISSION  195 

ments.  Officers  would  be  waiting  to  give  them  strict  protec 
tion,  and  temporary  accommodation  would  be  found  for  them 
in  the  Tsung-li-yamen  pending  future  arrangements  for 
their  return  home,  in  order  that  friendly  relations  might  be 
preserved. 

The  Ministers  were  all  agreed  that  although  this  invitation 
could  certainly  not  be  accepted,  it  was  a  proof  that  the 
Chinese  considered  it  impossible  to  capture  the  Legations, 
and  for  a  time  at  least  no  further  serious  attacks  would  be 
made.  Directly  the  meeting  of  the  Ministers  was  over  and 
their  decision  known,  Rex  went  to  see  Sir  Claude  Mac- 
donald. 

"  I  have  come  to  ask  you  for  permission  to  make  my  way 
out.  I  am  convinced  from  what  Ching  has  said  that  there 
will  be  no  more  very  serious  fighting  until  perhaps  a  relief 
force  moves  forward,  when  they  may  make  a  last  desperate 
attempt  to  capture  the  place.  My  father  and  mother  are  at 
Tientsin,  where  I  am  anxious  to  rejoin  them.  I  have  no 
fear  whatever  of  being  unable  to  get  down,  and  my  report 
of  the  situation  here  may  have  much  influence  upon  the 
starting  of  the  relief  force.  It  is  most  essential  that  this 
should  not  be  made  in  inadequate  force.  It  is  certain  that 
the  advance  would  be  met  with  the  whole  strength  of  the 
Chinese  army,  which  is  not  contemptible,  and  the  failure  of 
another  attempt  would  be  most  disastrous  for  you  here." 

"  Yes,  that  is  most  important,"  the  Minister  said,  "  and  as 
we  could  defend  ourselves  here  for  some  little  time  yet  it  is 
better  that  the  column  should  not  advance  until  it  is  strong 
enough  to  overcome  all  opposition.  After  all  you  have 
already  done  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  will  be  able  to  get  into 
Tientsin  without  difficulty.  When  do  you  propose  to 
start?" 

"  As  soon  as  it  is  dark,  sir.    I  shall  make  my  way  out  by, 


196  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  Tung  Pien  gate,  follow  the  canal  for  some  distance,  and 
then  strike  for  the  river.  I  shall  walk  all  night,  lie  up  during 
the  next  day,  and  get  near  Tientsin  by  the  following  morn 
ing.  I  shall  then  see  my  best  way  to  enter." 

"  You  will  hardly  do  it  in  two  nights'  walking." 

"  My  man  and  I  are  both  good  walkers,  sir.  It  would  be 
about  five-and-forty  miles  each  night,  but  I  think  that  we 
can  do  that;  I  am  most  anxious  to  get  home." 

After  leaving  the  Minister,  Rex  went  to  the  girls. 

"  I  am  going  away  again,"  he  said.  "  I  can  leave  you  now 
without  anxiety,  for  I  am  convinced  that  the  Chinese  can 
never  take  the  place.  I  shall  come  up  with  the  next  relief 
column." 

"We  are  very  sorry  that  you  are  going,  Rex,  but  really 
you  do  such  rash  things  here  that  I  think  you  will  be  safer 
away.  If  you  remain  we  shall  have  you  volunteering  next  to 
carry  the  Empress  off." 

"  There  was  no  rashness  in  my  going  into  the  city,  Jenny. 
I  was  dressed  just  like  everyone  else  and  attracted  no  atten 
tion  whatever.  There  is  little  danger  in  going  down  to  Tien 
tsin,  though  there  may  be  some  risk  perhaps  in  getting  into 
the  town.  At  any  rate  I  can  leave  you  here  with  confidence. 
If  I  thought  that  there  was  any  doubt  about  it  I  should  take 
you  both  down  with  me  now;  but  we  should  be  at  least  five 
days  instead  of  two,  and  the  risk  would  therefore  be  much 
greater,  and  if  the  place  should  be  besieged  I  might  find  it 
quite  impossible  to  get  you  in." 

"  We  would  much  rather  stay  here ;  we  are  very  busy  and 
are  happy  to  be  of  use.  Everyone  is  very  kind  to  us,  and  we 
get  on  much  better  now  than  before  we  came  to  the  hospital, 
for  we  have  no  time  to  think  or  grieve  over  the  past.  So  you 
are  going  to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  shall  start  directly  the  coast  is  clear,  and  we  shall 


A   MISSION  197 

go  out  as  we  came  in.  Of  course  if  there  is  heavy  firing  we 
must  wait." 

Rex  and  Ah  Lo  succeeded  in  slipping  out  of  Pekin  without 
attracting  attention,  and  set  out  in  the  direction  of  Tientsin 
with  all  possible  speed.  They  had  not  gone  far,  however, 
before  they  were  compelled  to  hide  from  a  band  of  Boxers. 
This  happened  several  times  within  a  very  short  period,  and 
Rex  at  last  decided  that  it  would  be  safer  for  both  if  they 
were  to  proceed  by  different  routes.  At  first  Ah  Lo  would 
not  consent  to  such  a  course,  but  in  the  end  Rex's  arguments 
prevailed,  and,  having  arranged  to  meet  at  a  point  near  Tien 
tsin,  they  shook  hands  and  separated. 

Some  hours  later  Rex  was  lying  among  some  bushes  near 
a  river,  where  he  had  thrown  himself  down  to  rest,  when 
suddenly  the  stillness  was  broken  by  a  deep  roar.  Rex 
started  and  a  cold  shudder  ran  through  him.  He  was  not 
acquainted  with  the  roar  of  a  tiger,  but  had  no  doubt  what 
ever  what  it  was.  While  they  were  chatting  together  one 
day  his  father  had  told  him  that  tigers  were  by  no  means 
uncommon,  especially  in  the  jungle  country  near  rivers,  and 
that  although  they  occasionally  carried  off  cattle  it  was 
seldom  that  they  meddled  with  the  natives.  He  felt  no  doubt, 
however,  that  the  animal  he  had  heard  was  a  tiger.  It  had 
probably  been  disturbed  by  the  firing  and  the  movements  of 
numbers  of  armed  men,  and  the  thought  that  it  was  probably 
unusually  hungry  came  across  his  mind. 

He  listened  eagerly,  and  when  presently  he  heard  a  stealthy 
footfall,  he  drew  his  pistol  from  his  belt  and  threw  himself 
down,  for  he  remembered  having  heard  that  tigers  prefer 
living  quarry  to  carrion.  He  had  not  lain  thus  long  before 
he  heard  the  animal  breathing  heavily.  It  came  closer  and 
closer;  he  could  hear  it  snuffing  him  from  head  to  foot.  Then 
it  placed  its  paw  upon  him.  The  weight  was  great,  but  Rex, 


198  WITH   THE   ALLIES'  TO   PEKIN 

who  was  lying  on  his  face,  still  kept  perfectly  quiet.  He 
held  his  breath  for  as  long  as  possible  and  then  took  another 
breath,  as  gently  and  as  silently  as  he  could.  Then  he  felt 
the  animal  remove  its  paw,  and  begin  to  walk  round  and 
round  him.  He  remembered  now  that  the  river  was  but  ten 
yards  away,  and  that  if  he  could  but  get  a  start  he  might 
possibly  escape.  But  while  he  was  considering  the  advis 
ability  of  making  a  dash  for  it  the  tiger  returned  and  seized 
him  by  the  shoulder.  Fortunately  Rex  had  on  a  thick  cloak, 
and  though  the  pain  was  considerable,  the  animal  was  appar 
ently  only  endeavouring  to  find  out  whether  he  were  dead. 
The  strain,  however,  was  too  great  to  be  borne  long.  He  felt 
that  at  any  moment  the  animal  might  bite  him  in  earnest, 
and  that  any  movement  on  his  part  would  certainly  cause  it 
to  do  so.  Quietly,  and  gradually,  he  moved  his  arm  upwards. 
The  tiger  gave  an  angry  growl  as  he  did  so,  and  he  felt  the 
pressure  of  its  teeth  increasing. 

There  was  no  time  for  hesitation  now.  He  raised  his  arm 
gradually  to  the  level  of  the  tiger's  eyes  and  fired.  With  a 
sudden  roar,  the  tiger  leapt  back.  Rex  was  on  his  feet  in  an 
instant,  and,  making  a  dash  for  the  river,  he  threw  himself 
in.  A  moment  later  the  tiger  was  on  the  bank.  It  fell  in 
close  to  him  and  swam  about  confusedly  until,  at  last,  it 
regained  the  bank,  and  there  it  stood  roaring.  It  was  evident 
to  Rex  that  he  had  partially  or  wholly  blinded  it.  He  struck 
out  down  stream,  but  a  few  strokes  showed  him  that  he  was 
so  completely  shaken  by  the  ordeal  he  had  gone  through  that 
he  could  not  long  support  himself. 

At  this  moment  he  saw  that  there  was  a  junk  lying  ahead 
of  him.  A  number  of  Chinamen  on  board  were  shouting  and 
gesticulating,  and  as  he  watched  them  they  began  to  fire  in 
the  direction  of  the  tiger's  roars.  Rex  swam  round  to  the 
other  side  of  the  junk,  unseen  by  the  excited  natives;  then, 


A    MISSION  199 

feeling  too  exhausted  to  go  farther,  he  climbed  up  by  means 
of  the  oars,  which  had  been  left  in  position  by  the  rowers, 
and,  diving  down  an  open  hatchway,  threw  himself  on  some 
thing  hard  below.  As  he  lay  there  he  could  hear  the  tiger 
roar  terribly,  but  as  the  sound  decreased  he  knew  that  the 
animal  was  moving  away. 

The  firing  presently  ceased,  but  the  talking  of  the  Chinese 
continued,  and  Rex  guessed  that  they  were  discussing  who 
had  fired  the  shot.  He  heard  a  boat  row  ashore,  but  after  a 
time  this  returned,  having  found  110  signs  of  the  tiger  or  its 
supposed  victim.  When  they  returned,  the  din  gradually 
subsided  and  all  became  quiet  again.  By  this  time  Rex  had 
recovered;  his  shoulder  was  almost  powerless,  but  he  man 
aged  to  crawl  back  to  the  hatchway,  and,  raising  himself,  he 
looked  out. 

The  Chinamen  were  sitting  about  on  the  deck,  some  cook 
ing  and  others  smoking  their  little  pipes.  He  thought  it 
probable  that  after  the  excitement  of  the  night  they  would 
remain  up  till  morning,  and  in  that  case  his  risk  of  discovery 
was  great.  Doubtless  he  might  hide  himself  in  the  cargo 
until  that  was  discharged,  but  this  might  not  be  for  some 
days,  and  he  was  anxious  in  the  extreme  to  reach  Tientsin  as 
soon  as  possible.  He  therefore  resolved  to  escape  at  once. 
He  guessed  that,  with  the  exception  of  those  who  had  gone 
ashore  in  the  boat,  the  men  would  not  have  reloaded  their 
firearms,  and  that,  once  ashore,  he  would  be  able  to  distance 
them.  Several  Chinamen  were  sitting  between  the  hatch  and 
the  bulwark,  but,  climbing  cautiously  on  deck,  he  reached  the 
side  of  the  vessel  in  a  couple  of  strides  and  sprang  over 
board  before  anyone  noticed  him.  There  was  a  lull  of 
surprise  among  the  Chinese,  and  then  a  confused  jabbering, 
followed  by  several  musket  shots.  But  Rex  had  dived,  and 
having  swum  under  water  as  long  as  he  could  hold  his  breath, 


200  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

he  felt  sure,  when  he  came  up,  that  he  could  no  longer  be 
distinctly  seen  in  the  darkness. 

Then  he  heard  some  of  the  men  try  to  move  the  boat  again, 
and  instead  of  making  direct  for  the  shore,  he  swam  along 
parallel  to  it,  knowing  that  the  boat  would  go  a  great  deal 
faster  than  he  could  swim.  He  heard  the  shouts  of  the  men 
as  they  landed,  and  then,  turning,  swam  for  the  other  side. 
When  he  reached  the  bank  he  crawled  among  the  bushes  and 
lay  down.  For  some  time  he  remained  without  moving,  but 
suddenly  he  sprang  to  his  feet;  the  tiger  had  begun  to  howl 
again,  and  it  was  but  a  short  distance  from  him.  He  knew 
that  even  if  the  brute's  sight  was  entirely  destroyed  its  scent 
would  bring  it  towards  him,  and  having  much  more  fear  of 
the  tiger  than  of  the  men,  he  again  jumped  into  the  river. 
He  could  hear  the  shouts  of  the  Chinese,  and,  judged  by 
their  number,  that  they  had  been  joined  by  many  of  their 
companions  on  the  junk.  He  remained  in  the  water  till 
morning  dawned,  when  a  savage  yell  told  him  that  he  had 
been  discovered  by  the  Chinese  on  the  other  side. 

The  roar  of  the  tiger  had  ceased,  but  he  could  hear  its  low 
meanings  not  far  off.  Nevertheless  he  felt  that  if  he  were  to 
escape  he  must  risk  another  encounter  with  the  animal.  He 
therefore  made  for  the  shore  again,  and  climbed  up  on  the 
bank.  Looking  back  as  he  did  so,  he  saw  that  the  Chinese 
were  leaping  into  their  boat;  then,  without  further  delay  he 
dashed  in  among  the  trees.  When  he  reached  the  other  side 
of  the  jungle  he  saw  to  his  dismay  a  large  number  of  Chinese 
soldiers  in  a  village  some  three  hundred  yards  away.  He 
crept  back  again,  therefore,  among  the  bushes,  and  keeping 
just  inside  them  moved  cautiously  along,  taking  the  utmost 
pains  not  to  show  any  signs  of  his  presence.  After  proceed 
ing  a  hundred  yards  or  so  in  this  way  he  approached  the 
edge  and  looked  out.  A  number  of  Chinese  were  just  issuing 


THERE  W\S  A  LULL  OK  SURPRISE,   THEN   A  CONFUSED  JABBERING, 
FOLLOWED  BY  SEVERAL  MUSKET-SHOTS. 


A   MISSION  201 

from  the  bush,  and  one  of  them  at  once  ran  across  towards 
the  village.  Rex  moved  forward  again,  this  time  leaving 
the  edge  and  plunging  into  the  heart  of  the  jungle. 

The  Chinese  could  not,  he  knew,  have  recognized  his  as  a 
white  man,  but  his  extraordinary  conduct  in  hiding  in  the 
junk,  and  the  unusual  method  he  adopted  of  leaving  it,  would 
have  shown  them  that  at  any  rate  he  was  not  one  of  them 
selves,  and  would  perhaps  have  suggested  to  them  that  he 
was  going  down  with  a  message  from  Pekin. 

He  was  presently  aware,  by  the  loud  shouting,  that  at  least 
some  of  the  soldiers  had  joined  in  the  pursuit.  The  strip  of 
jungle  was  of  no  great  width,  and  as  he  could  not  therefore 
hope  to  escape  by  keeping  to  it,  he  made  his  way  back 
towards  the  river.  When  he  made  the  bank  again  he  saw, 
to  his  satisfaction,  that  the  boat  in  which  his  pursuers  had 
crossed  was  lying  only  some  fifty  yards  away,  with  but  one 
Chinaman  sitting  in  it.  This  man,  he  decided,  must  be 
silenced  at  any  cost,  for  he  would  give  the  alarm  the  moment 
he  was  in  the  water.  He  therefore  approached  him  as  quietly 
as  possible,  keeping  among  the  bushes  until  he  was  opposite 
to  the  boat. 

The  Chinaman  was  evidently  listening,  for  he  was  standing 
up  in  the  boat,  his  attention  probably  attracted  by  the  slight 
rustle  Rex  had  made  in  coming  along.  Rex  gathered  himself 
together  and  sprang  suddenly  into  the  boat,  grasping  the 
Chinaman  by  the  throat  and  rolling  with  him  upon  the  floor 
boards.  He  could  have  shot  him  easily  enough,  but  he  knew 
that  the  sound  would  draw  all  his  pursuers  to  the  spot,  and 
so  defeat  his  purpose.  The  Chinaman  was  a  powerful  man, 
but  Rex  had  taken  such  a  grip  of  his  throat  that  he  was 
unable  to  shake  it  off.  The  desperate  conflict  continued  for 
a  minute  or  two.  Then  the  Chinaman's  struggles  grew  more 
feeble,  his  colour  became  almost  black,  his  little  eyes  began 


202  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

to  stare;  indeed  he  seemed  at  the  point  of  death.  Rex  was 
reluctant  to  kill  the  man,  so  he  bound  his  arms  tightly  to  his 
sides  with  a  rope  which  he  found  in  the  boat,  and  stuffed  his 
mouth  was  a  piece  of  cloth  which  he  cut  from  the  man's 
own  coat.  Then,  leaving  him  lying  senseless  in  the  bottom, 
he  seized  one  of  the  oars. 

As  the  channel  was  shallow,  he  was  able  to  punt  across, 
and  as  he  did  so  he  noted  with  satisfaction  that  the  junk  was 
so  far  away  that  those  on  board  would  take  him  for  a  native. 
On  reaching  the  other  side  he  jumped  ashore,  pushed  the 
boat  out  into  the  stream  with  all  his  strength,  and  then, 
turning,  made  off  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  After  covering 
some  two  miles  he  reached  the  edge  of  the  jungle.  Here  he 
halted,  for  he  felt  that  he  could  not  continue  his  journey  by 
day  without  danger  of  discovery.  He  threw  himself  down  on 
the  ground.  The  events  of  the  last  few  hours  had  completely 
exhausted  him,  and  he  now  discovered  that  he  had  lost  his  bag 
of  provisions ;  probably  he  had  left  them  where  the  tiger  had 
attacked  him.  This  was  a  great  misfortune,  for  he  had  still, 
he  calculated,  at  least  thirty  miles  to  pass  before  he  reached 
Tientsin,  and  he  might  be  kept  some  time  outside  that  place 
before  he  could  .enter  it.  He  waited  until  late  in  the  after 
noon,  and  then  he  felt  that  he  must  have  some  food.  He 
therefore  started  again  on  his  journey,  and  at  last,  after 
hesitating  several  times,  determined  to  risk  everything.  He 
recharged  his  revolvers,  and,  waiting  till  night  had  quite 
fallen,  made  his  way  into  the  nearest  village. 

He  congratulated  himself  more  than  ever  that  he  was  able 
to  speak  Chinese,  and  he  knew  that  the  dialect  differed  so 
much  in  various  parts  of  the  country  that  although  the  peas 
ants  might  see  that  he  was  not  a  native  of  their  district,  they 
would  not  guess  that  he  was  other  than  a  Chinaman.  He 
therefore  entered  a  house  where  a  light  was  burning,  and 


A   MISSION  20,3 

said :  "  I  am  sorely  in  need  of  feed.  Will  you  sell  me 
some  ? " 

The  occupants  of  the  cottage  were  an  old  man  and  an 
old  woman.  At  his  words  they  both  looked  up  in  some  sur 
prise. 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ? "  the  woman  asked. 

"  I  come  from  the  north,"  he  said,  "  and  am  the  bearer  of  a 
message  to  our  general  at  Tientsin.  I  have  travelled  a  long 
way  and  am  hungry." 

"  Are  you  a  Boxer  ? "  the  old  man  asked. 

"  No,"  he  replied.     "  My  letter  is  from  the  Empress." 

"  Well,  well,"  the  old  man  said,  "  it  makes  no  difference  to 
us.  Did  you  see  any  Boxers  on  this  side  of  the  river  as  you 
came  along  ? " 

"  No,"  said  Rex,  "  they  were  on  the  other  side." 

The  old  man  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  They  are  terrible  people,"  he  said,  "  and  though  they 
fight  against  the  white  devils  they  plunder  and  kill  us  poor 
villagers,  who  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair." 

"  They  act  badly,"  Rex  said ;  "  and  it  is  because  I  know 
that  they  kill  before  questioning  that  I  am  travelling  on  this 
side  of  the  river." 

"  You  do  well,"  the  peasant  said.  "  It  is  true  that  they 
have  no  mercy.  We  have  now  in  the  village  several  who 
have  barely  escaped  with  their  lives  from  them  by  swimming 
across  the  river.  They  have  told  us  terrible  tales  of  their 
doings.  But  you  are  hungry;  my  wife  will  cook  you  some 
rice." 

"Do  you  mind  shutting  the  door?"  Rex  asked.  "There 
might  be  someone  in  the  village  who,  wishing  to  curry  favour 
with  the  Boxers,  might  go  and  bring  some  of  them  over  if  he 
saw  a  stranger  here." 

"  T  will  do  so,"  the  old  man  said,  suiting  the  action  to  the 


204  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

word ;  "  for  although  I  think  that  there  is  none  in  the  village 
who  would  do  so  treacherous  an  act,  yet  it  is  as  well  to  take 
precautions." 

The  old  woman  set  some  rice  to  boil  over  a  small  fire,  while 
the  old  man  chatted  with  Rex.  In  twenty  minutes  the  rice 
was  ready,  and,  sitting  down,  he  made  a  hearty  meal,  con 
gratulating  himself  that  during  his  journey  with  the  girls 
he  had  learned  to  eat  with  chopsticks. 

He  had  just  finished  when  the  door  opened  and  a  man 
wearing  the  badge  of  the  Boxers  entered  the  room. 

"  Bring  out  what  food  you  have !  "  the  fellow  said  roughly ; 
"  all  of  it.  There  are  many  of  us  in  the  village ;  it  is  of  no 
use  making  resistance.  We  want  to  eat  ourselves  and  to 
carry  all  there  is  here  back  to  our  comrades.  Who  is  fhis? 
a  son  of  yours  ? " 

"  No,"  the  old  man  said,  "  he  is  a  stranger,  and  bears  a 
message  from  the  Empress  for  your  general  at  Tientsin." 

"  Let  me  see  it ! "  the  man  demanded.  "  It  is  strange 
that  you  should  come  round  this  way,  instead  of  going 
straight." 

"  My  message  is  to  the  general,"  Rex  said,  "  and  I  give  it 
to  no  one  else." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  know  that  your  story  is  true  ? "  the 
Boxer  said.  "  This  is  not  the  way  that  a  messenger  from  the 
Empress  would  come,  and  if  she  sent  one  it  would  not  be  by 
a  fellow  like  you.  Empresses  do  not  entrust  their  messages 
to  peasants.  I  believe  you  are  a  spy  from  the  white  devils 
at  Pekin." 

"  I  can't  help  what  you  believe,"  Rex  said  quietly,  "  nor  do 
I  mean  to  quarrel  with  you.  I  will  therefore  say  to  you, 
leave  me  alone  and  I  will  leave  you  alone." 

"Message  or  no  message,"  the  Boxer  said,  "I  will  soon 
satisfy  myself."  And  he  drew  his  sword. 


A   MISSION  205 

Rex  listened  a  moment  through  the  open  door.  He  could 
hear  a  great  din  and  commotion;  muskets  were  being  dis 
charged,  and  flames  were  bursting  out  from  among  the  cot 
tages.  Feeling,  therefore,  that  the  sound  of  a  pistol  would 
hardly  attract  atention,  he  raised  his  weapon  as  the  Boxer 
rushed  at  him,  and  shot  the  man  through  the  head. 

The  old  peasant  wrung  his  hands. 

"  They  will  kill  us  all ! "  he  cried ;  "  they  will  show  us  no 
mercy !  " 

"  Quick !  Help  me  to  carry  the  body  out  at  the  back  door, 
and  to  lay  it  down  by  the  wall.  The  body  will  not  be  noticed 
there.  Then  I  advise  you  and  your  wife  to  fly  at  once  and 
hide  in  the  jungle  a  few  hundred  yards  away.  There  is  no 
fear  of  their  finding  you,  and  in  the  morning  you  can  come 
out  again,  if,  as  is  most  likely,  they  have  gone." 

The  old  man  seized  the  dead  Boxer  by  the  legs,  while  Rex 
took  him  by  the  head,  and  together  they  removed  him  from 
the  house.  Then  the  old  couple  hurried  away,  after  Rex  had 
thrust  some  money  into  the  man's  hand. 

"  That  will  go  far  to  build  up  your  cottage  again,"  he  said ; 
"  but  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they  will  burn  it  when  they  find 
it  empty." 

So  saying  he  turned  away  and  continued  his  journey.  He 
had  gone  but  a  couple  of  miles  when  he  came  suddenly  upon 
a  group  of  peasants,  who  were  anxiously  watching  a  light  in 
the  sky. 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  they  shouted  as  they  seized  him. 

"  I  am  a  stranger  in  these  parts ;  I  am  on  my  way  down 
from  Pekin,"  he  said ;  "  but  I  have  come  to  warn  you  that 
the  Boxers  are  near  at  hand." 

"  That  is  a  pretty  tale,"  one  of  them  said  derisively. 
"  There  is  no  doubt  that  you  are  a  spy  of  the  Boxers  come  on 
in  advance  to  know  whether  our  village  is  worth  plundering. 


206  WITH    THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

Besides,  we  know  that  the  Boxers  have  not  yet  crossed  the 
river." 

"  I  can  assure  you  that  they  have.  That  light  you  see  there 
comes  from  the  village  three  miles  away.  They  have  plun 
dered  it  and  set  it  on  fire." 

"  A  nice  story !  "  the  spokesman  of  the  party  said.  "  How 
then  did  you  get  away  to  give  us  word  if  you  were  not  sent 
forward  as  a  spy  ? " 

"  I  was  staying  there  overnight,"  he  said,  "  and  while 
I  was  eating  my  supper  the  village  was  attacked,  and  I 
fled." 

"  That  will  not  do,  my  fine  fellow.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
you  are  a  Boxer  spy,  and  at  least  one  of  the  cursed  band  shall 
die.  Haul  him  along,  fellows !  " 

The  men  dragged  Rex  to  the  village,  which  was  but  a 
hundred  yards  away.  There  he  was  tied  to  a  post  while  the 
villagers  debated  what  death  he  should  die.  It  was  not 
pleasant  to  Rex  to  hear  the  details  of  his  execution  discussed, 
each  one  more  horrible  than  another.  They  finally  decided  to 
burn  him  alive,  and  were  bringing  the  faggots  out  of  their 
houses  for  the  purpose,  when  a  sound  of  shouting  and  the 
clashing  of  weapons  was  borne  towards  them  on  the  quiet 
night  air. 

"  Listen !  "  he  shouted,  "  the  Boxers  are  coming." 

Everyone  stood  for  a  moment  as  still  as  a  statue.  Then 
a  wild  cry  arose  of  "  The  Boxers !  the  Boxers ! "  and  in  an 
instant  all  Rex's  persecutors  had  fled,  each  to  snatch  some 
prized  valuable  in  his  house,  and  to  fly  before  the  Boxers 
arrived.  As  soon  as  they  had  left  him,  Rex  struggled  to  free 
himself  from  his  bonds.  Fortunately  the  cords  had  not  been 
tightly  fastened,  and  after  a  prolonged  and  desperate  effort 
he  freed  one  hand;  the  rest  was  comparatively  easy,  and  just 
as  the  Boxers  were  entering  the  village  he  tore  himself  free. 


A  MISSION  207 

He  ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed  till  he  felt  that  he  was  safe, 
and  then  he  threw  himself  down  exhausted. 

"  I  have  had  a  hard  day  of  it  indeed,"  he  said ;  "  once 
mauled  by  a  tiger,  and  three  times  nearly  taken  by  the 
Boxers.  If  I  get  through  this  safely,  I  am  not  likely  to  leave 
Tientsin  again  until  I  come  up  with  the  relieving  army.  I 
have  had  more  narrow  escapes  to-day  than  I  have  had  in  all 
my  life,  and  I  have  no  wish  for  a  repetition  of  them.  I 
am  not  sure  if  I  do  not  prefer  a  tiger  to  these  fanatical 
Boxers." 

After  lying  for  fully  half  an  hour,  he  got  up  and  con 
tinued  his  way  towards  Tientsin.  The  rest  of  the  journey 
was  uneventful.  At  the  appointed  spot  he  met  Ah  Lo,  who 
had  managed  to  get  down  without  adventure.  After  mutual 
congratulations,  they  made  a  hearty  meal  off  some  provisions 
which  Ah  Lo  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  get  at  the  house 
of  an  old  friend,  Rex  the  while  recounting  his  experiences. 
When  they  had  finished,  they  cautiously  approached  the 
town. 

Working  down  to  the  east,  they  saw  that  heavy  firing 
was  going  011  from  a  large  building  which  had  been  the 
Chinese  military  college,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  town. 
The  military  college  showed  signs  of  having  been  heavily 
cannonaded. 

"  It  is  evident,"  said  Rex,  "  that  our  fellows  have  taken  that 
place,  and  that  the  Chinese  are  attacking  it.  We  must  wait 
till  night,  and  then  try  and  make  our  way  in.  I  hope  that  the 
place  is  held  by  British  troops,  for  if  it  is  occupied  by  troops 
who  don't  understand  English,  we  are  likely  to  be  shot  as  we 
approach  it." 

Accordingly  they  lay  down  at  the  edge  of  a  patch  of  high 
corn. 

"  At  present,"  said  Rex,  "  our  men  are  taking  the  offensive; 


208  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  firing  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  is  on  the  outside  of 
the  settlement.  Admiral  Seymour's  force  can't  have  retired 
beyond  Tientsin;  they  must  be  holding  the  place,  for  cer 
tainly  the  local  Europeans  would  not  have  been  strong 
enough  to  make  a  sortie,  or  to  have  captured  that  Chinese 
college.  It  is  either  that  or  else  troops  must  have  come  up 
from  Taku." 

The  truth  was  that  fifteen  hundred  Russians  had  arrived 
after  Admiral  Seymour's  force  had  started.  It  was  fortunate 
indeed  that  they  had  not  arrived  in  time  to  join  it,  for  if  they 
had,  Tientsin  could  not  have  made  a  successful  resist 
ance. 

All  day  the  firing  went  on.  Where  they  lay  they  could  see 
that  not  only  Boxers,  but  regular  Chinese  troops,  were  taking 
part  in  the  attack.  Several  times  the  enemy  made  rushes 
almost  up  to  the  college,  but  each  time  they  quailed  before 
the  heavy  fire  and  turned  back.  At  nightfall  the  fighting 
ceased,  and  Rex  and  his  companion  left  their  hiding-place 
and  made  their  way  round  to  the  river  below  the  military 
college,  on  which  side  no  attack  had  been  made.  Groups  of 
men  were  sitting  about  talking  together,  but  by  exercising 
great  caution  they  succeeded  in  avoiding  these,  and  at  last 
approached  the  college.  When  they  got  nearer,  Rex  shouted : 
"  I  am  an  Englishman  with  messages  from  Pekin ;  don't 
fire!" 

"  All  right,  mate !  "  came  back  in  a  hearty  voice.  "  But 
you  must  just  stop  where  you  are  until  I  call  an  officer." 

A  minute  later,  a  voice  shouted :  "  How  many  are  there  of 
you?" 

"  Only  myself  and  one  servant." 

"  All  right !  come  on.  As  an  Englishman  you  must  be  a 
friend." 

A  couple  of  minutes  later  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  entered  the 


A   MISSION  209 

college.  An  officer  with  two  men  and  a  lantern  met 
them. 

"  You  may  be  an  Englishman,"  the  officer  said,  "  but  you 
look  very  unlike  one." 

"  If  I  hadn't  disguised  myself  I  should  not  have  got  down 
here,"  Rex  said  with  a  laugh.  "  My  name  is  Bateman.  I 
am  the  son  of  a  merchant  here.  I  went  up  with  Admiral 
Seymour's  expedition,  but  left  them  when  they  came  to  a 
stand-still,  and  made  my  way  into  Pekin,  where  I  have  some 
relations." 

"  Are  they  holding  out  all  right  ?  "  the  officer  asked  eagerly. 
"  No  news  has  come  down  for  the  past  ten  days.  Isn't 
Seymour  there  ? " 

"  No.  I  am  sorry  to  say  he  is  not.  Hasn't  he  got  back 
here?" 

"  No.    We  have  not  heard  of  him  since  he  started." 

"  That  is  bad  news  indeed.  He  was  getting  very  short  of 
provisions  when  I  left  him.  We  heard  firing  as  we  came 
down  to-day,  some  ten  miles  out.  I  know  that  there  is  a  big 
Chinese  arsenal  out  there.  I  only  hope  he  has  taken  that 
and  is  defending  himself." 

"And  Pekin  is  safe  still?" 

"  Yes.  We  have  been  fighting  hard  for  the  past  three 
weeks,  and  the  garrison  can  hold  out  for  some  time  longer; 
but  the  Chinese  are  gradually  gaining  ground.  The  French 
Legation  is  nearly  destroyed,  so  is  the  American,  and  the 
Russian  is  a  good  deal  damaged.  I  hope,  however,  that 
fighting  has  stopped  for  the  present.  If  it  goes  on  again  all 
will  have  to  take  to  the  British  settlement.  Now,  how  can  I 
get  across  ? " 

"  Well,  you  can't  get  to  the  bridge  now.  Your  only  plan  is 
to  take  a  native  boat — several  of  them  are  lying  on  the 
shore — and  row  across.  We  are  going  to  blow  up  this  place 


210  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

to-night,  and  level  it  to  the  ground;  the  men  are  all  at  work 
mining  it.  We  only  took  it  because  it  commands  more  or 
less  all  the  streets  running  from  the  water.  When  we  have 
levelled  it  we  shall  probably  return  again  to  the  other  side. 
Of  course  before  going  we  shall  also  burn  down  all  the 
Chinese  houses  on  this  side  of  the  river." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   FIGHT  AT  TIENTSIN 

REX  crossed  the  river  with  Ah  Lo,  and  made  his  way  to 
Mr.  Bateman's.    He  was  received  with  delight,  and  both 
father  and  mother  showered  questions  upon  him  as  to  the 
state  of  things  in  Pekin. 

"  There  has  been  a  lot  of  miscellaneous  fighting,"  he  said, 
"  but  the  Chinese  have  not  made  many  determined  assaults, 
and  in  all  cases  have  been  readily  beaten  off.  The  attacks  are 
slackening  off  now,  I  think  the  Chinese  are  getting  pretty 
sick  of  it.  When  I  left  the  garrison  the  girls  were  quite 
well.  They  are  working  as  assistants  to  the  lady  who  under 
takes  the  cooking  for  the  hospitals,  and  they  therefore  get.  I 
think,  rather  better  food  than  most  people.  At  any  rate  they 
look  very  well,  and  I  do  think  that  the  siege  has  been  good 
for  them,  for  they  have  not  had  time  to  mope  over  the 
death  of  their  father  and  mother,  as  they  would  have  done 
had  I  brought  them  down  here.  When  it  is  all  over,  that 
horrible  business  will  seem  to  them  an  age  back.  Indeed  it 
seems  so  to  me  already.  I  can  hardly  believe  that  it  is  not 
much  more  than  three  weeks  since  I  got  them  out. 

"  Now,  Father,  how  have  you  been  getting  on  here  ? " 
"  Well,  the  fighting  only  began  two  days  ago,  but  it  has 
been  pretty  hot  since  then.  Everyone  who  can  carry  a  gun 
has  been  taking  part  in  the  defence.  We  have  barricaded 
the  ends  of  all  the  streets,  but  I  don't  think  we  could  have 
held  out  long  if  it  hadn't  been  for  the  Russians,  who  came 

211 


212  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

up  after  Seymour  left.  By  the  way,  what  is  the  news  of  him  ? 
We  expected  to  hear  ten  days  ago  of  his  arrival  at  Pekin." 

"  He  never  got  up  there,  Father.,  I  told  you  that  I  thought 
he  wouldn't.  When  they  started  they  only  took  with  them 
provisions  for  six  days,  and  as  the  railway  was  everywhere 
pulled  up,  they  had  difficulty  in  taking  even  that  with  them. 
I  don't  know  how  far  they  got,  but  it  was  certainly  nowhere 
near  Pekin.  I  believe  they  are  now  besieged  at  the  arsenal, 
eight  miles  out.  We  heard  heavy  firing  in  that  direction 
when  we  carne  along  last  night.  Of  course  we  had  no  idea 
then  as  to  what  it  was,  but  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  now.  I 
must  go  at  once  and  tell  whoever  is  in  command." 

"  The  Russian  Colonel  is  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  virtue 
both  of  seniority  of  rank,  and  of  being  in  command  of  the 
strongest  force  here.  I  don't  think  he  knows  English,  but  he 
speaks  French.  I  will  ask  Thompson,  who  I  know  speaks  that 
language  fluently,  to  accompany  me  to  his  house  with  you  and 
act  as  interpreter.  We  expect  some  more  troops  up  to-mor 
row,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that,  as  soon  as  he  has  given  our 
assailants  here  a  good  thrashing,  he  will  send  out  a  relief 
party  to  Seymour." 

Mr.  Thompson  readily  agreed  to  accompany  them,  and  they 
proceeded  together  to  the  house  of  Colonel  Wogack,  the 
senior  officer  in  Tientsin.  When  they  sent  in  word  that  a 
messenger  had  arrived  from  Pekin  they  were  at  once  ad 
mitted.  The  colonel  had  just  finished  dinner.  He  had  with 
him  Colonel  Anisimoff  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shirinsky. 
Bex  had  changed  his  clothes  before  starting,  and  Mr.  Thomp 
son  introduced  him  to  the  general  as  a  gentleman  who  had 
just  made  his  way  down  from  Pekin. 

"  What  is  the  news,  sir  ? "  the  colonel  asked  in  French. 

Rex  related  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  Legations. 

"  This  is  much  better  than  we  had  hoped,"  the  colonel  said 


THE    FIGHT    AT    TIENTSIN  213 

warmly.  "  We  have  been  in  the  greatest  anxiety  about  the 
position,  and  several  rumours  have  reached  us  that  the  Lega 
tions  had  fallen.  Are  you  the  bearer  of  the  message  for  me 
from  the  Ministers  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  came  down  in  disguise,  and  had  I  been  seized 
and  searched,  any  paper  of  that  kind  would  have  ensured  my 
death.  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  however,  bade  me  give  a  full 
account  of  the  position  and  of  the  fighting  so  far,  and  assure 
you  that,  although  provisions  were  beginning  to  run  short, 
they  could  maintain  themselves  for  some  time  yet." 

"  Have  you  heard  anything,  sir,  about  the  relieving  force  ?  " 
"  I  went  up  with  them,  but  left  them  at  Fantail  and  made 
my  way  into  Pekin,  bringing  them  the  only  news  that  they 
had  received  of  the  column.  But,  sir,  on  my  way  down  I 
heard  heavy  firing  in  the  direction  of  the  Hsi-Ku  arsenal. 
The  only  explanation  of  this  that  occurs  to  me  is  that  the 
arsenal  has  been  captured  by  Admiral  Seymour,  and  that  he 
is  besieged  there." 

"  Why  do  you  not  think  that  he  may  be  besieging  it  ? "  the 
colonel  said  sharply. 

"  Because,  sir,  they  only  had  three  days'  provisions  when  I 
left  them,  and  must  have  been  in  a  state  of  starvation  when 
they  arrived  at  the  arsenal.  Admiral  Seymour  would  there 
fore  attack  it  for  the  sake  of  the  stores  it  contained,  and  as 
he  would  no  doubt  lose  heavily,  he  would  not  be  in  a  position 
to  cut  his  way  down  here." 

"  Very  well  reasoned,  sir.    As  soon  as  we  can  spare  a  force 
from  here,  we  will  go  out  to  relieve  him.     Now,  will  you 
kindly  give  me  a   full  detailed  account  of  the  fighting  at 
Pekin  and  the  state  of  the  resources  there  ? " 
"  May  I  ask  if  you  speak  Chinese,  Colonel  ?  " 
"  Certainly.     I  have  resided  for  some  years  in  Pekin." 
"  Then  in  that  case,  sir,"  Rex  said,  "  I  shall  tell  you  in  that 


214  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

language,  as  the  story  is  a  long  one,  and  it  will  be  tedious  to 
translate  it  sentence  by  sentence." 

"It  would  certainly  be  more  convenient,"  the  colonel 
said. 

Rex  then  told  the  story  at  length.  He  was  saved  much 
time  in  explaining  the  nature  of  the  defences  from  the 
colonel's  knowledge  of  the  ground.  The  Russian  officer 
made  several  comments  here  and  there. 

"  Why  did  they  not  hold  the  customs-house  ? "  he  asked. 
"  It  was  a  strong  building  and  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
Fu." 

"Yes,  sir,  but  I  believe  that  it  was  considered  th'at  the 
force  was  barely  sufficient  to  hold  the  Legation.  Indeed, 
the  occupation  of  the  Fu  was  to  some  extent  an  afterthought, 
and  it  was  necessitated  by  the  great  number  of  the  Chris 
tian  Chinese  who  came  in  for  shelter,  and  for  whom  it  was 
absolutely  impossible  to  provide  in  the  Legations.  It  was  for 
the  same  reason  that  the  Austrian,  Italian,  and  Dutch  Lega 
tions  and  the  Pekin  Club  were  abandoned.  A  portion  of  the 
French  Legation  has  been  destroyed,  also  part  of  the  Fu." 

Then  he  related  the  incidents  of  each  day's  fighting. 

"  Was  our  bank  held  as  well  as  our  Legation  ?  "  the  Russian 
asked. 

"  Yes.  The  line  of  defence  went  round  the  back  and  side 
of  your  Legation  and  the  Russian  Bank  to  the  Tartar  wall. 
On  the  other  side  it  did  not  reach  the  Tartar  wall." 

The  narration  occupied  more  than  an  hour.  At  the  end, 
Colonel  Wogack  thanked  Rex  very  warmly  for  his  infor 
mation. 

"  It  is  all  most  valuable,  and  especially  that  part  relating  to 
Admiral  Seymour's  expedition.  I  hope  we  shall  get  some 
more  messengers  through  to  Pekin,  for  it  is  clear  that  up  to 
the  time  you  left,  the  Chinese  were  gradually  gaining  ground. 


THE    FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  215 

They  have  abundance  of  artillery,  and  if  they  were  to  bring  it 
into  play  they  could  breach  the  walls  and  defences  in  half  a 
dozen  places  in  the  course  of  twelve  hours.  What  you  tell  me 
of  your  visit  to  Prince  Ching  affords  a  certain  amount  of 
hope,  but  there  is  never  any  depending  on  Chinamen.  To 
morrow  the  other  party  may  get  the  upper  hand  again  and 
fighting  go  on  more  earnestly  than  ever.  Matters  here  have 
become  much  more  serious  in  the  course  of  the  past  day  or 
so.  Until  the  Taku  forts  were  taken  the  Chinese  regular 
troops  held  aloof  from  the  Boxers,  but  now  the  Chinese 
regular  troops  have  joined  the  Boxers,  and  we  are  likely 
to  have  hot  work  of  it." 

On  their  way  home  Rex  told  his  father  what  the  colonel 
had  said. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  In  the  opinion  of  a  good  many  men  the 
summons  to  those  fortresses  to  surrender  was  a  mistake.  Up 
till  that  time  the  affair  might  have  been  considered  as  an  in 
surrection;  indeed,  the  Chinese  troops  several  times  fought 
the  Boxers,  but  the  attack  on  the  Taku  Forts  was  considered 
by  the  Chinese  as  a  declaration  of  war  on  the  part  of  the 
Powers.  I  don't  say  that  there  is  not  a  great  deal  to  be  said 
both  ways.  There  was  always  the  danger  that  the  Chinese 
would  unite  against  us,  especially  as  the  Empress  openly  up 
held  the  Boxers.  In  that  case  it  is  certain  that  the  available 
force  on  board  the  ships  would  not  have  sufficed  to  fight  their 
way  up  here,  and  consequently  Tientsin  must  have  fallen, 
and  Pekin  also.  It  was  therefore  a  most  difficult  question  to 
decide.  Our  attack  on  the  Taku  Forts  certainly  had  the 
effect  of  uniting  the  Chinese  against  us,  but  had  that  attack 
not  been  made,  or  had  it  been  delayed,  we  should  probably 
have  had  all  the  Chinese  against  us,  with  an  inadequate 
force  to  oppose  them,  and  Tientsin  and  Pekin  would  have 
been  lost,  and  the  life  of  every  European  in  them  sacrificed. 


216  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  Come  in,  Mr.  Thompson.  We  must  get  Rex  to  go  over 
his  narrative  for  our  benefit.  It  need  not  be  so  full  as  that 
which  he  gave  to  the  colonel,  in  the  first  place  because  we 
don't  know  the  position  of  all  the  Legations,  so  that  details 
would  be  lost  on  us;  in  the  next  place,  because  it  is  getting 
late,  and  Rex  has  already  had  a  long  day  of  it." 

It  was  not,  however,  till  past  midnight  that  Rex  finished 
and  they  turned  into  bed.  They  were  awakened  an  hour 
later  by  a  series  of  loud  explosions,  which  told  that  the 
sailors  were  engaged  in  blowing  up  the  military  college.  In 
the  morning  Rex  learned  more  of  what  had  taken  place. 
The  Boxers  had  set  fire  to  several  places  in  the  native  city, 
and  to  the  railway-station.  They  were  beaten  off,  and  a  train 
was  despatched  to  Tong-Ku,  filled  with  women  and  children; 
the  rest  were  ordered  to  take  shelter  in  the  Gordon.  Hall, 
the  large  municipal  building  in  the  British  section. 

The  next  night  the  Boxers  renewed  the  attack  on  the  rail 
way-station,  but  were  again  repulsed.  On  the  following  day 
they  were  joined  by  the  Chinese  troops,  and  from  that  time 
all  communication  with  the  Taku  was  cut  off.  That  day  the 
Military  College  was  taken. 

An  incessant  fusillade  was  going  on  when  Rex  awoke  some 
what  late  the  next  morning.  He  dressed  hastily  and  hurried 
down-stairs. 

"  What  is  up,  Father  ?    Are  they  attacking  us  again  ?  " 

"  They  have  occupied  the  college  that  we  blew  up  last 
night,  and  are  now  keeping  up  a  heavy  fire  from  that  shelter. 
When  it  gets  dark  we  are  all  going  to  barricade  the  ends  of 
the  streets,  as  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  move  out  of 
our  houses  during  the  day.  The  municipality  have  already 
met  this  morning,  and  it  has  been  decided  that  all  goods  in 
the  store-houses,  with  the  exception  of  the  valuable  ones,  shall 
be  given  up  for  the  purpose.  Fortunately  there  is  a  great 


THE    FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  217 

quantity  of  sacks  of  wool  and  rice,  both  of  which  will  do 
admirably  for  the  purpose.  The  greater  part  of  the  volun 
teers  are  occupied  in  the  houses  at  the  end  of  the  street, 
where  they  answer  the  fire  of  the  enemy;  but  the  Chinese 
never  show  themselves.  Did  you  notice  the  state  of  the  river 
as  you  crossed  it  last  night  ? " 

"  No,  Father." 

"  It  was  just  as  well  that  you  didn't,  my  boy,  for  it  is  full 
of  corpses.  Some  thousands  of  Chinese  must  have  been 
massacred  in  the  native  city,  all  of  them  no  doubt  people  who 
are  supposed  to  be  favourable  to  us — coolies  employed  here 
and  their  relations,  shopkeepers  who  have  supplied  us  with 
small  necessaries,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  better  class  who 
have  ventured  opinions  hostile  to  the  Boxers.  It  is  a  horrible 
business,  lad,  and  the  troops  are  so  furious  at  the  sight  that 
they  may  give  little  quarter  when  the  tables  are  turned  and 
we  take  the  town.  That  is  the  worst  of  a  war  in  this 
country ;  the  Chinese  never  give  quarter,  and  as  a  result  little 
is  given  on  our  side.  Our  men  may  possibly  be  kept  in 
hand,  but  I  doubt  whether  the  Kussians,  or  the  Germans,  or 
the  French  will  be  restrained." 

Rex  at  once  put  on  his  uniform,  took  his  rifle,  and  joined 
the  party  who,  behind  some  hastily-thrown-up  barricades, 
were  trying  to  keep  down  the  Chinese  fire.  With  that  excep 
tion  the  day  was  comparatively  quiet.  All  the  Europeans 
not  engaged  in  combating  the  Chinese  fire  were  employed 
with  the  sailors  and  marines  in  erecting  barricades,  while 
the  Russians  held  the  outposts. 

The  next  morning  the  Chinese  opened  fire  with  two  field- 
guns  posted  on  the  railway  embankment  opposite  to  the 
British  section.  Commander  Beattie,  of  the  Barfteur,  with 
three  companies  of  sailors,  was  sent  across  the  river  to  try  to 
silence  them ;  but  the  Chinese,  sheltered  behind  the  mud  walls 


218  WITH   THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

which  intersected  the  ground  in  every  direction,  poured  in  so 
heavy  a  fire  that  the  attempt  had  to  be  abandoned,  Com 
mander  Beattie  and  three  of  his  officers  being  wounded.  A 
nine-pounder  gun  was  then  brought  up  to  the  river  bank 
front  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Wright,  of  the 
Orlando.  This  opened  fire  upon  the  two  Chinese  guns,  and 
maintained  it  so  rapidly,  and  with  such  excellent  aim,  that 
the  Chinese  guns  were  withdrawn.  Lieutenant  Wright,  how 
ever,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  bursting  shell. 

Most  of  the  Chinese  guns  were  placed  in  the  yamen  fort, 
forty-five  of  them  being  in  position  there.  There  was  also  a 
battery  of  seven  guns  in  the  canal,  two  miles  from  the  rail 
way-station,  a  couple  of  guns  within  a  thousand  yards  of  it, 
and  another  couple  behind  the  ruins  of  the  Military  College. 
Besides  these  there  were  several  sand-bag  batteries  along  the 
bank  of  the  river  between  the  French  settlements  and  the 
native  city,  in  the  city  wall,  and  in  the  arsenal.  All  these  now 
opened  fire,  and  from  their  different  positions  were  able  to 
cannonade  the  settlements  from  every  direction. 

The  din  was  incessant,  and  many  of  the  houses  speedily 
became  ruins.  Unfortunately  the  besieged  had  but  a  few 
guns  to  meet  it,  having  only  seven  twelve-pounder  Russian 
guns  of  an  obsolete  pattern,  a  new  fifteen-pounder,  a  Maxim, 
and  a  Nordenfeldt,  which  had  just  arrived,  but  which  was  of 
little  use,  as  there  were  very  few  rounds  of  ammunition  to 
fit  it. 

For  a  week  the  position  was  grave  in  the  extreme;  the 
defending  force  was  constantly  engaged,  and  the  enemy 
swarmed  round  them;  but  though  they  made  numerous  dem 
onstrations  they  never  attempted  anything  like  a  determined 
attack.  In  one  attack  the  enemy  set  fire  to  the  buildings  in 
fourteen  places,  burnt  down  the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral 
and  the  greater  portion  of  the  French  station,  and  nearly 


THE   FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  219 

succeeded  in  capturing  the  railway-station,  which  was  held 
by  the  Russians. 

Day  by  day  the  situation  became  more  serious.  There  had 
been  no  communication  with  the  coast  for  nearly  ten  days; 
the  enemy  daily  became  more  daring,  and  their  attacks 
were  repulsed  with  ever-increasing  difficulty.  Then  one  of 
the  volunteers,  Mr.  Watts,  offered  to  ride  through  the  Chinese 
lines  by  night.  He  knew  the  country  well,  and  believed  he 
could  get  through ;  but  the  service  was  a  desperate  one.  The 
Russian  general  gave  him  two  Cossacks  as  an  escort.  These 
might  be  of  use  if  he  fell  in  with  a  very  small  party  of  the 
enemy;  but  as  he  could  not  speak  their  language  they  could 
be  of  little  other  service.  His  comrades  gave  him  a  hearty 
farewell  when  he  left,  never  expecting  to  see  him  again. 
Nevertheless,  almost  by  a  miracle,  he  succeeded  in  getting 
through,  and  carrying  news  to  the  fleet  that  the  position  at 
Tientsin  was  becoming  desperate,  that  they  maintained  them 
selves  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  that  their  ammunition 
was  fast  giving  out. 

No  time  was  lost;  two  thousand  men — British,  Americans, 
and  Russians — bringing  with  them  two  Russian  batteries, 
each  of  six  fifteen-pounder  Krupps,  were  at  once  landed.  The 
Russians  were  commanded  by  General  Stossel,  the  Ameri 
cans  by  Major  Waller,  and  the  naval  brigade  by  Commander 
Craddock  and  Captain  Mullins.  The  force  also  included  four 
hundred  Welsh  Fusiliers  under  Major  Morris,  and  a  portion 
of  the  Chinese  regiment  from  Wei-Hai-Wei  under  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Bowyer. 

It  was  a  terrible  journey.  The  railway  had  been  completely 
destroyed,  the  heat  was  overpowering,  and  the  enemy,  though 
they  did  not  venture  to  make  an  open  attack,  kept  up  a 
constant  fire  upon  them.  Nevertheless  they  toiled  on  un 
flinchingly,  and  at  last  reached  Tientsin,  to  the  delight  of  the 


220  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

inhabitants,  who  now  found  themselves  in  a  position  to  defy 
any  attack. 

Rex  had  been  continually  at  one  or  another  of  the  barri 
cades.  The  fire  from  two  guns  concealed  among  some  houses 
had  been  particularly  galling  and  accurate,  and  Rex,  with  two 
of  his  comrades,  had  often  talked  over  the  possibility  of 
silencing  it.  On  the  twenty-second  Rex  said :  "  Well,  I 
mean  to  go  out  to-night  and  see  if  I  cannot  stop  the  fire  of 
that  gun.  Are  you  two  fellows  disposed  to  go  with  me  ? " 

"  Certainly,  if  you  think  there  is  a  shadow  of  a  chance." 

"  I  think  that  there  is  a  very  good  chance.  You  see,  the 
Chinese  guns  always  stop  fire  between  ten  at  night  and  four 
in  the  morning.  It  is  true  that  sniping  goes  on  all  night, 
showing  that  there  are  skirmishers  out  all  that  time;  but  if 
we  could  pass  through  these  we  are  safe,  for  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  artillerymen  serving  the  guns  lie  down  and 
go  to  sleep.  I  have  a  Chinese  disguise,  and,  talking  the 
language  as  I  do,  I  feel  sure  that  I  can  get  through.  I  shall 
take  my  man  Ah  Lo  with  me.  Two  might  be  quite  enough 
if  it  were  not  that  the  gunners  probably  lie  down  close  to 
their  pieces,  and  if  they  woke  up  before  we  had  driven  both 
spikes  in  and  made  a  rush,  we  might  fail  in  our  object.  For 
that  reason  I  should  like  to  have  two  more  if  you  are  willing 
to  come." 

Both  the  young  men  expressed  their  willingness  to  go,  one 
of  them  saying,  however,  that  neither  of  them  spoke  Chinese 
well  enough  to  pass. 

"That  does  not  matter,"  Rex  replied.  "It  would,  of 
course,  be  better  for  us  to  go  through  in  two  parties  and  join 
when  we  have  passed  the  skirmishing-line.  Ah  Lo  can  go 
with  one  of  you  and  I  can  go  with  the  other,  so  that  if  we  are 
stopped  and  questioned  we  can  do  the  talking." 

"  Yes,  that  will  make  it  all  right,"  the  other  said.    "  There 


THE    FIGHT    AT    TIENTSIN  221 

is  no  difficulty  about  disguises;  there  are  still  some  coolies 
here.  Now,  what  ought  we  to  take  ? " 

"  We  must  each  take  a  heavy  hammer  and  a  spike,  also  a 
thick  felt  wad  to  put  on  the  top  of  the  nail  when  we  strike 
it,  so  that  we  can  practically  spike  the  guns  without  making 
a  noise.  In  addition  we  had  better  each  take  a  brace  of 
revolvers  and  a  sword,  so  that  we  can  make  a  pretty  tough 
fight  should  we  be  attacked.  Still,  if  we  are  discovered  after 
we  have  finished  our  work,  we  must  take  to  our  heels  rather 
than  to  our  arms.  In  that  case  I  think  it  would  be  wise, 
instead  of  making  at  once  for  the  camp,  to  run  to  one  of  the 
houses.  The  night  will  be  dark,  and  in  the  confusion  the 
Chinese  will  not  at  first  realize  what  has  happened,  and  before 
they  recover  we  shall  probably  be  out  of  sight.  If  we  get  a 
good  start  there  is  little  fear  that  we  shall  be  overtaken,  and 
even  if  we  should  come  upon  skirmishers  they  are  sure  to  be 
very  scattered.  We  can  shoot  them  down  before  they  realize 
who  we  are  and  what  we  have  been  up  to,  and  then  there  will 
only  be  a  short  run  and  the  risk  of  a  chance  bullet  before  we 
are  safe  behind  the  barricade." 

"  Well,  it  all  seems  plain  enough,  and  I  really  don't  see 
why  it  could  not  be  managed." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  in  the  least  that  it  could  be  managed," 
Rex  said  confidently.  "There  are  only  two  real  difficulties; 
the  one  is,  to  make  our  way  through  their  skirmishers  with 
out  being  detected,  the  other  is  to  find  the  guns  in  the  dark." 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  a  serious  difficulty.  One  of  those 
Chinese  houses  is  just  like  another,  and  as  the  guns  are  a 
good  thousand  yards  away,  the  chances  are  that  we  should 
not  find  them." 

"We  can  manage  that,"  Rex  said,  after  a  moment's 
thought.  "  To-day  we  will  put  a  lantern  on  the  barricade, 
and  ask  the  middy  in  charge  to  let  it  remain  there,  telling 


222  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

him  what  we  want  it  for.  Then  we  will  go  back  fifty  or  a 
hundred  yards  and  place  another  lantern  in  a  window  in 
such  a  position  that  when  we  are  going  in  a  direct  line  for 
the  guns  the  light  of  the  first  shall  cover  that  of  the  second." 

"  That  is  a  splendid  idea,  Bateman ;  that  will  certainly  get 
over  the  difficulty.  You  are  a  wonderful  chap  to  plan  things. 
Well,  I  feel  sure  now  that  we  shall  succeed  if  only  we  can 
make  our  way  through  those  sniping  beggars." 

The  lanterns  were  obtained,  and  Hex  went  with  them  to 
the  barricades.  The  officer  in  command  there  was  a  midship 
man  of  the  Orlando.  Rex  had  had  several  chats  with  him 
during  the  past  few  days.  "Hillo,  Bateman,"  he  said, 
"  what  are  you  up  to  with  those  lanterns  at  this  hour  ? 
Going  to  look  for  a  subterranean  mine  ? " 

"  No,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  am  going  to  do,  but  you  must 
keep  it  a  secret;  all  sorts  of  objections  might  be  raised,  and 
the  enemy  would  get  to  know  what  we  were  up  to." 

"  You  can  trust  me." 

"  Well,  then,  we  are  going  out  to-night  to  spike  those  two 
guns  over  there  that  have  been  doing  so  much  mischief  for 
the  past  two  days." 

"  You  are !  By  Jove !  I  should  like  to  go  with  you,  but  of 
course  I  can't.  I  have  got  to  stick  here  whatever  happens  till 
the  thing  is  over.  How  are  you  going  to  do  it  ? " 

"  Four  of  us  are  going  out.  There  is  no  doubt  the  fellows 
who  work  the  guns  all  go  to  sleep  between  ten  and  four,  so 
we  have  a  fair  chance  to  go  up  and  spike  the  guns  before  they 
wake.  Of  course  the  difficulty  will  be  to  get  through  those 
fellows  who  keep  watch  all  night.  For  that  we  have  to  trust 
to  chance.  We  shall  carry  pistols,  and  if  we  come  across 
one  or  two  men  we  can  use  them  without  attracting  attention, 
as  anyone  who  heard  the  shots  would  naturally  think  that 
some  of  their  own  men  were  sniping." 


THE    FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  223 

"  That  seems  good  enough,"  the  middy  said ;  "  but  what  on 
earth  have  you  got  the  lantern  for  ?  Do  you  mean  to  march 
out  with  it  to  show  the  way  ? " 

"  Not  exactly,"  Rex  laughed.  He  then  explained  their 
plan  to  the  middy. 

"  First-rate,  a  jolly  good  idea !  "  said  his  friend.  "  The  guns 
are  somewhere  along  those  ruins  over  there;  they  fire  every 
three  or  four  minutes.  Just  at  present,  as  far  as  I  can  make 
out,  they  are  pounding  the  French  settlement.  I  should  think 
the  line  would  be  somewhere  about  that  house  fifty  yards 
behind." 

"  I  will  go  and  stand  there,"  Rex  said,  "  and  watch  for  the 
next  shot.  It  is  most  important  to  get  the  lanterns  in  the 
exact  line,  because  if  we  once  got  among  those  houses  in  the 
dark  we  might  search  for  half  an  hour  before  we  found  the 
position,  and  likely  enough  might  fall  over  some  of  the 
sleeping  Boxers." 

"  They  are  not  Boxers,"  the  midshipman  said,  "  they  are 
regular  troops.  Those  guns  are  Krupps,  and  the  Boxers  have 
no  guns  of  that  sort.  I  will  go  back  with  you.  Two  eyes 
are  better  than  one;  there  is  only  the  flash  to  guide  us,  for 
they  are  using  smokeless  powder." 

They  went  back  to  the  point  that  he  had  suggested,  and 
stood  looking  earnestly  till  they  saw  the  flash.  Both  agreed 
that  they  were  five  or  six  yards  too  much  to  the  left.  They 
accordingly  moved  a  little  in  that  direction.  Five  minutes 
after  they  saw  another  flash. 

"  This  is  just  about  right,"  Rex  said ;  "  there  is  a  window 
just  overhead.  The  house  looks  to  me  as  if  it  were  empty;  at 
any  rate  I  will  go  in  and  see." 

It  turned  out  to  be  as  he  thought. 

"  All  right !  I  will  leave  the  lantern  in  the  house  and  light 
it  as  we  come  along,  which  will  be  about  twelve  o'clock.  I 


224  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

shall  be  glad  if  you  will  keep  your  eye  upon  both  lights  and 
see  that  they  burn  steadily.  Probably  they  will  not  require 
attention,  but  at  the  same  time,  as  the  success  of  the  job 
depends  upon  both  keeping  alight,  it  is  as  well  to  run  no 
risks.  There  is,  perhaps,  more  fear  of  the  one  on  the  barri 
cade  coming  to  grief  than  of  this.  One  of  your  sailors  might 
topple  it  over." 

"  You  needn't  be  afraid  of  that.  I  will  put  a  man  to  sit  by 
the  side  of  it,  or  rather  to  sit  down  behind  it  in  shelter,  for 
the  bullets  whistle  pretty  close  over  that  point  sometimes." 

"  It  would  be  a  very  good  plan,"  Rex  said,  "  if  you  would 
get  him  to  put  his  hat  in  front  of  it  and  take  it  away  again 
about  every  quarter  of  a  minute,  so  as  to  make  the  light 
twinkle.  You  see  there  are  a  good  many  lights  in  the  houses 
at  night,  and  at  a  distance  we  might  easily  make  a  mistake; 
but  if  this  one  were  to  be  kept  flashing  we  could  hardly  go 
wrong." 

"A  good  idea  again,  Bateman!  I  shall  see  that  that  is 
done.  Is  there  anything  else  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think  that  after  we  have  been  gone  five  minutes 
it  would  be  an  advantage  if  you  would  make  your  men  fire 
half  a  dozen  shots.  Those  snipers  would  be  sure  to  answer 
at  once,  and  we  should  then  get  some  idea  of  their  situation 
and  probably  be  able  to  avoid  them." 

"  That  shall  be  done,"  said  the  middy.  "  The  danger  will, 
of  course,  be  in  spiking  the  guns." 

"  That  is  so,  but  we  shall  all  be  in  disguise,  so  that  if  we 
stumble  over  any  of  them  in  the  dark  we  shall  only  be  taken 
for  some  of  their  own  fellows.  We  shall  each  carry  ham 
mers  and  spikes,  and  felt  wads  an  inch  thick,  so  that  when 
we  find  the  guns  we  shall  be  able  to  spike  them  without 
making  any  noise." 

"  Do  you  know  the  mechanism  of  those  Krupp  guns  ? " 


THE   FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  225 

"  No." 

"  Well,  then,  you  would  only  be  going  out  on  a  fool's  errand. 
You  would  not  be  able  to  spike  them,  and  if  you  did,  they 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  cutting  the  spike  off  by  taking 
the  breech-block  out.  Your  best  plan  would  be  to  get  the 
breech-blocks  out  and  carry  them  away.  They  would  prob 
ably  be  too  heavy  to  carry  far,  but  if  you  were  to  get  them 
out  and  take  them  a  short  distance  away,  you  might  hide 
them  among  the  ruins  and  cover  them  over  with  rubbish. 
That  would  effectually  put  them  out  of  action  until  we  go 
out  and  capture  the  place.  Look  here !  have  you  got  a  pocket- 
book  with  you  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  I  can  show  you  roughly  the  action  of  the 
gun  and  how  to  open  the  breech  and  get  the  block  out.  When 
you  grasp  that  you  will  find  no  difficulty  in  doing  it,  if  you 
coach  the  fellows  who  are  going  with  you  how  it  is  done. 
You  see  the  action  would  be  quite  noiseless,  and  though  it 
would  take  you  a  good  bit  longer  than  spiking,  that  would 
not  be  very  important  if  you  find  all  the  fellows  asleep." 

"  Thank  you !  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you.  It  would 
have  been  a  horrible  sell  to  find,  when  we  got  there,  that  after 
all  we  could  do  nothing." 

They  went  together  to  the  barricade  and  sat  down  in  as 
comfortable  a  spot  as  they  could  find.  Then  the  midshipman 
drew  a  plan  of  the  breech  action  and  explained  minutely  to 
Rex  how  it  worked  and  how  he  should  proceed  to  get  out  the 
wedge  and  stopper.  In  the  evening,  when  the  others  came 
off  duty,  Rex  brought  them  home,  and,  taking  them  up  into 
his  room,  explained  to  them  what  was  to  be  done.  He  knew 
that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  get  Ah  Lo  to  understand  it, 
but  he  would  only  have  to  put  his  hand  on  the  part  to  be 
operated  upon,  and  get  Ah  Lo  to  apply  his  strength  to  it. 


226  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  Even  if  we  can't  get  out  the  breech-block,  or  find  it  too 
heavy  to  carry  away,  it  would  be  sufficient,  I  should  say,  to 
take  out  the  wedge  and  stopper,  and  carry  them  off,  for  I 
doubt  whether  they  would  bje  able  to  replace  these  parts,  and 
at  any  rate  they  could  only  do  so  after  several  days'  delay, 
which  would  be  a  good  deal  gained." 

At  a  quarter  to  twelve  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  set  out,  and  on 
arriving  at  the  barricade  found  their  two  companions  already 
there.  The  lanterns  were  lighted,  and  they  at  once  set  out. 
They  advanced  until  they  judged  that  they  were  near  the 
line  of  snipers,  and  then  lay  down.  They  had  scarcely  done 
so  when  the  defenders  of  the  barrier  opened  fire,  and  directly 
afterwards,  as  Hex  had  expected,  the  Chinese  ahead  replied. 
The  shots  were  all  pretty  close  together,  which  seemed  to  show 
that  the  Chinese  there  were  in  a  group.  Rex  and  his 
companions  immediately  set  off  again,  and,  after  proceeding 
about  a  hundred  yards  to  the  right,  again  went  forward.  All 
had  muffled  their  shoes  with  strips  of  blanket  before  start 
ing,  and,  treading  very  cautiously  to  avoid  stumbling  against 
stones  or  other  obstacles,  they  went  quietly  forward,  holding 
their  pistols  in  readiness  for  action,  and  stooping  low. 

They  met  with  no  interruption.  The  party  on  the  left 
were  still  firing,  and  they  found  no  one  ahead  of  them. 
Gradually  they  moved  towards  the  left  until  the  Chinese 
snipers  were  behind  them  and  they  had  the  two  lanterns  in 
line.  They  went  on  faster  now  till  they  knew  that  they 
must  be  near  the  houses,  for  the  night  was  so  dark  that  they 
could  not  even  see  the  outline.  Looking  frequently  back  to 
be  sure  that  they  were  keeping  the  exact  line,  they  proceeded 
steadily  and  at  last  came  upon  a  wall,  evidently  the  remains 
of  a  house.  From  this  point  they  moved  forward  foot  by 
foot  until  they  felt  that  they  were  far  enough  among  the 
ruins ;  then  they  scattered  a  little  until,  to  their  delight,  they 


THE    FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  227 

came  upon  the  guns.  Listening  intently  they  could  hear  the 
sound  of  heavy  breathing  and  snoring  a  short  distance  ahead, 
and  judged  that  the  Chinese  must  be  lying  but  fifteen  yards 
away.  They  drew  together  round  one  of  the  guns  and  felt 
the  breech. 

"  Here  is  the  handle  of  the  lever,"  Rex  whispered. 

Opening  the  breech  they  took  out  the  wedge  and  stopper, 
and  then  moved  to  the  other  gun  and  completed  the  opera 
tion.  They  had  finished  it  and  were  moving  off  when  one  of 
them  stumbled  and  fell.  A  Chinaman,  startled  by  the  sound, 
exclaimed :  "  Who  is  there ;  what  are  you  doing  ?  "  Making 
no  reply,  however,  they  hurried  on,  and  making  two  or  three 
turns  among  the  ruins  were  soon  in  the  open  again. 

"  Keep  along  still  farther  to  the  left,"  Rex  said,  as  there 
was  a  sudden  shout  behind.  "  Evidently  the  wakeful  China 
man  has  got  up  to  investigate  the  cause  of  the  disturbance, 
and  has  discovered  that  the  guns  have  been  tampered  with." 

As  he  spoke  a  chorus  of  yells  came  from  the  direction  of 
the  guns. 

"  Look  here !  "  Rex  said,  "  here  is  a  pile  of  earth  where  a 
wall  has  fallen.  Let's  shove  these  things  in  here  and  cover 
them  up;  they  are  precious  heavy,  and  we  can't  do  any 
fighting  until  we  have  got  rid  of  them." 

The  suggestion  was  no  sooner  made  than  it  was  carried 
out.  Kneeling  down  they  rapidly  scraped  a  hole  in  the 
debris,  and  carefully  hid  the  portions  of  the  guns  which  they 
had  carried  off.  As  they  did  so  they  could  hear  a  rush  of 
shouting  men  behind  them. 

"  We  had  better  follow  them,"  Rex  said.  "  No  doubt  they 
will  scatter  along  the  line,  and  we  shall  then  have  a  good 
chance  of  getting  through."  Accordingly  they  retraced  their 
steps  and  joined  their  pursuers.  The  mob  of  Chinamen 
scattered  as  they  advanced,  and  halted  to  make  enquiries 


228  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

when  they  reached  the  sniping  line.  As  the  men  here  de 
clared  that  no  one  had  passed  them,  the  great  bulk  went  on 
to  the  right  or  left.  Bex  whispered  to  Ah  Lo,  who  exclaimed : 
"  They  may  have  run  on ;  we  will  see  if  we  can't  overtake 
them !  "  and  with  his  companions  passed  on  at  a  run. 

It  was  straight  sailing  now ;  -the  guiding  lantern  was  in 
front  of  them,  and  at  the  top  of  their  speed  they  ran  down 
towards  it.  They  were  challenged  as  they  approached  the 
barricade,  for  the  Chinese  had  opened  a  heavy  random  fire. 

"  All  right !  "  Rex  shouted,  "  don't  fire,  whatever  you  do." 

A  minute  later  he  and  his  companions  climbed  the  barri 
cade. 

"  Well,  have  you  succeeded  ?  "  the  midshipman  asked. 

"  Yes,  thanks  to  your  advice,  we  have  disabled  the  guns. 
We  have  not  brought  the  pieces  with  us,  but  we  have  buried 
them  in  the  ruins  where  they  are  certainly  not  likely  to  be 
discovered." 

"No  fighting?" 

"  No,  we  have  not  had  to  draw  a  trigger." 

"  Well  done !  I  heard  a  terrible  din  right  out  in  that 
direction,  and  feared  that  you  had  been  captured." 

"  No,  we  had  done  the  business  before  they  got  the  alarm, 
and  were  able  to  make  off  without  being  seen.  Then  we 
joined  them  and  rushed  in  pursuit  of  ourselves;  but  when 
they  scattered  in  all  directions  we  kept  straight  on,  shouting 
that  we  should  overtake  the  fugitives." 

"  Well,  you  have  done  a  first-rate  job,  and  as  a  result  we 
shall  have  a  comparatively  quiet  time  to-morrow,  for  their 
shot  generally  struck  near  us.  Shall  I  report  the  affair  ?  " 

"  No,"  Rex  said.  "  We  have  agreed  that  we  will  say 
nothing  about  it.  We  might  get  a  blowing-up  for  acting 
without  orders.  We  don't  want  praise,  and  are  well  satisfied 
to  have  silenced  those  troublesome  guns." 


THE    FIGHT    AT    TIENTSIN  229 

They  went  quietly  back  to  their  homes,  and  next  day  had 
the  pleasure  of  hearing  remarks  of  surprise  and  satisfaction 
at  the  silence  of  the  two  guns  that  had  been  so  trouble 
some. 

That  morning  a  relief  force,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenaiit-Colonel  Shirinsky,  sallied  out  to  the  assistance  of 
Admiral  Seymour,  and  the  day  passed  in  comparative  quiet 
ness  at  Tientsin,  the  'time  being  employed  by  the  troops  and 
inhabitants  in  strengthening  the  barricades.  The  Chinese, 
who  were  of  course  aware  of  the  large  reinforcements  that 
had  arrived  on  the  previous  day,  and  were  probably  anticipat 
ing  an  attack,  remained  inactive.  Only  a  few  shots  were 
fired  into  the  settlements  during  the  day. 

Having  nothing  else  to  do  Rex  wandered  all  over  the  settle 
ments,  and  was  surprised  to  see  the  enormous  damage  that 
had  been  effected  by  the  Chinese  guns.  The  French  settle 
ment  had  been  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  fire  and  shot, 
the  damage  greatly  exceeding  that  which  had  been  inflicted 
on  the  British  settlement.  Many  of  the  houses  had  suffered 
terribly.  The  municipal  buildings  had  been  struck  many 
times,  but,  being  solidly  built,  had  suffered  only  from  the 
heavier  missiles.  Houses  facing  the  river  were  all  riddled 
with  musket  balls,  and  many  had  been  badly  knocked  about 
by  the  Chinese  guns  on  the  opposite  side.  The  loss  of  life, 
however,  had  been  particularly  small,  and  the  inhabitants, 
feeling  that  the  worst  was  over,  congratulated  themselves 
that  it  had  not  been  more  serious. 

Rex  learned  that  the  heaviest  fighting  had  taken  place 
round  the  railway-station.  This  point  was  guarded  jointly 
by  a  force  of  Japanese,  French,  and  British,  the  Japanese 
and  French  being  stationed  on  the  platform  and  in  the 
station  buildings,  while  the  British,  with  a  Maxim,  held  the 
engine-house.  The  fighting  lasted  day  and  night  for  several 


230  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

days  in  succession,  the  enemy  making  the  engine-house  the 
special  object  of  their  attack,  and  endeavouring  to  silence 
the  Maxim  by  planting  two  nine-pounders  in  a  clump  of 
trees  less  than  twelve  hundred  yards  away.  Their  fire  was 
so  accurate  that  the  men  who  were  not  working  the  gun  had 
to  lie  down  in  the  ash-pit  between  the  rails,  planks  being 
placed  across  the  opening  to  give  them  protection.  One  day 
the  Chinese  put  eight  shells  into  the  wall  within  a  space  of 
twenty  feet,  killing  and  wounding  seventeen  of  the  Welsh 
Fusiliers,  who  were  at  that  time  on  guard. 

The  French  and  Japanese  erected  sand-bag  barricades 
along  the  platform,  and,  lying  down  on  the  rails  behind,  fired 
through  loopholes.  Once  or  twice  the  fighting  was  so  close 
as  to  be  nearly  hand-to-hand.  Between  the  station  and  the 
Russian  camp  was  an  undefended  gap  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
studded  thickly  with  Chinese  graves,  which  afforded  excellent 
cover,  and  enabled  the  Boxers  to  advance  to  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  station.  One  night,  indeed,  a  number  of 
Boxers  managed  to  creep  up  unseen,  getting  behind  some 
empty  trucks  standing  by  the  siding,  cut  off  the  French  in 
the  station,  and  the  British  in  the  engine-house.  It  was  a 
moment  of  great  peril,  but  fortunately  some  Sikhs  of  the 
Hong-Kong  regiment,  who  were  coming  out  to  relieve  the 
blue- jackets  and  marines,  saw  the  situation,  and  attacked 
the  enemy.  A  fierce  fight,  lasting  some  three  hours,  ensued, 
the  Sikhs  showing  the  greatest  courage  and  presence  of  mind, 
and  the  assailants  were  in  the  end  driven  off  with  heavy  loss. 
The  allies,  however,  also  suffered  heavily;  their  casualties, 
which  occurred  chiefly  among  the  French  and  Japanese, 
amounting  to  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty.  The  Boxers,  who 
had  been  armed  with  rifles  from  the  arsenal,  also  showed 
great  courage,  many  times  sallying  out  from  between  the 
trucks  and  charging  with  fixed  bayonets,  a  weapon  of  whose 


THE    FIGHT   AT   TIENTSIN  231 

use  they  knew  so  little  that  those  on  a  number  of  the  rifles 
picked  up  after  the  fight  were  still  fixed  in  the  scabbards. 

The  British  Club  had  been  turned  into  a  hospital  at  first, 
but  it  was  found  to  be  a  great  deal  too  exposed  in  position, 
and  the  wounded  were  removed  into  the  Gordon  Hall,  where 
they  were  comparatively  safe.  The  hospitals  were  excellently 
managed,  and  the  wounded  bore  all  their  sufferings  without 
complaint,  although  terribly  harassed  by  the  flies  and  afflicted 
by  the  great  heat.  The  continual  bursting  of  shells  also 
troubled  them  greatly;  the  explosion  was  serious  enough  to 
men  in  sound  health,  and  it  was,  of  course,  much  more  trying 
to  those  who  were  shaken  by  loss  of  blood  and  had  their 
nerves  much  less  under  control. 

The  French  priests  behaved  with  great  courage  and  hu 
manity,  feeding  and  protecting  all  the  Christian  Chinese 
who  came  to  them,  Catholic  and  Protestant  alike.  Many  of 
the  Chinese  women  were  housed  in  the  missions,  and  private 
firms  sheltered  numbers  of  them  in  thoir  warehouses;  but 
nevertheless  the  Chinese  Christians  suffered  heavily,  as  thoir 
houses  stood  for  the  most  part  in  exposed  positions.  When 
Rex  was  off  duty  as  a  volunteer  he  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  in  visiting  these  poor  people,  carrying  rice  and 
other  necessities  from  his  father's  storehouses.  He  was  sur 
prised  at  their  patience  and  resignation;  they  evinced  the 
most  touching  gratitude  for  the  welcome  supplies  that  he 
brought  them.  The  rice  was  generally  cooked  for  them  in 
the  house,  and  Ah  Lo  always  accompanied  Rex  with  two  pails 
full  of  the  food,  while  Rex  carried  the  smaller  comforts  in 
a  basket. 


CHAPTER  XII 

DELAYS 

AN  the  thirteenth  the  allies  began  a  heavy  bombardment  of 
*J  the  native  city,  the  guns  being  placed  on  a  mud  wall 
enclosing  both  the  native  city  and  foreign  settlements.  The 
British  had  sixteen  guns  of  various  sizes,  and  four  Maxims; 
the  Americans  'three  guns  and  three  machine-guns;  the 
Japanese  twelve  mountain  guns;  the  French  six  mountain 
guns;  and  the  Austrians  two  Maxims  and  a  Nordenfeldt. 
The  Russians  and  Germans,  who  were  encamped  two  miles 
away  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  did  not  share  in  the 
bombardment.  The  cannonade  was  kept  up  with  tremendous 
vigour,  the  British  guns  alone  pouring  in  fifteen  hundred 
shells  in  the  course  of  the  morning.  So  terrific  was  the  fire 
that  the  Chinese  batteries  soon  ceased  to  play. 

Meanwhile  an  allied  army  of  some  five  thousand  men, 
under  the  command  of  the  Japanese  Brigadier-General  Fu- 
kushima,  the  senior  officer  present,  advanced  under  cover  of 
darkness  on  the  western  side  of  the  Peiho  to  a  little  arsenal 
about  two  miles  to  the  north-west  of  the  settlements.  This 
force  was  composed  of  fifteen  hundred  Japanese,  with  two 
batteries  of  artillery,  a  British  contingent  under  Brigadier- 
General  Dorward,  comprising  one  hundred  and  fifty  blue 
jackets,  one  hundred  and  fifty  marines,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  men  of  the  Welsh  Fusiliers,  one  hundred  of  the  Chinese 
regiment,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Hong-Kong  regiment, 
the  Hong-Kong  artillery,  and  the  naval  guns,  also  forty-five 


DELAYS  233 

Austrian  marines,  nine  hundred  Americans  under  Colonel 
Meade,  and  nine  hundred  French  under  Colonel  De  Pelacot. 
The  remainder  of  the  Welsh  Fusiliers  and  a  number  of  blue 
jackets  were  despatched  at  the  same  time  to  hold  the  enemy 
in  check  at  the  railway-station,  while  from  their  camp  the 
Russians  and  Germans  advanced  in  force  on  the  east  banks 
of  the  river  to  attack  the  batteries  on  the  Lutai  Canal.  The 
best  point  of  attack  was  the  south-west  angle  of  the  city,  as 
in  this  way  they  would  have  avoided  the  concentrated  fire 
from  the  whole  of  the  crenellated  wall;  but  a  canal  inter 
vened,  and  there  was  no  means  of  bridging-  it,  the  Chinese 
having  opened  the  sluices  and  flooded  the  country  on  both 
sides  of  it.  The  advancing  force,  moreover,  would  have  been 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Chinese  fort  two  thousand  yards 
away,  on  which  were  mounted  several  modern  guns.  It  had 
been  decided,  therefore,  to  attack  at  the  south  gate,  to  which 
a  narrow  paved  pathway  ran  in  a  straight  line  from  the 
arsenal. 

The  troops  were  drawn  up,  the  French  on  the  right,  the 
Americans  on  the  left,  and  the  Japanese,  British,  and  Aus- 
trians  in  the  centre. 

The  canal  was  formerly  crossed  at  the  arsenal  by  a  small 
wooden  bridge,  but  this  had  been  burnt  in  order  to  keep  the 
Chinese  guns  from  going  from  the  city  to  the  race-course, 
from  which  they  had  for  some  days  maintained  a  galling  fire. 
The  arsenal  itself  was  not  held  in  strength,  being  too  much 
exposed  to  the  Chinese  fire,  but  a  Maxim  had  been  stationed 
in  one  of  the  houses  by  the  bridge,  to  prevent  the  Chinese 
from  repairing  it.  The  French  were  the  first  to  reach  the 
remains  of  the  bridge  in  order  to  take  up  their  place  on  the 
right  of  the  attacking  force,  and  when  they  found  that  there 
was  no  means  of  crossing,  they  had  to  halt  under  cover  of  a 
very  heavy  fire  from  the  Japanese  sappers,  until  they  had 


234  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

made  it  passable.  The  French  and  Japanese  troops  then 
crossed  together,  and  proceeded  along  the  pathway  until  they 
reached  a  ditch  six  feet  wide,  running  at  right  angles  to  the 
pathway,  and  filled  with  stagnant  water. 

This  ditch  was  about  nine  hundred  yards  from  the  wall. 
Crossing  it  the  troops  took  shelter  in  a  number  of  small 
houses  a  short  distance  beyond.  Forty  men  were  left  to  hold 
them,  and  two  hundred  more  advanced  along  the  causeway 
until  they  got  under  the  shelter  of  the  Chinese  houses,  situ 
ated  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  outside  the  city  wall.  The 
Japanese  sappers  threw  up  an  entrenchment  with  great 
rapidity,  and  placed  bridges  across  one  or  two  ditches  which 
obstructed  the  advance. 

The  attack  was  then  developed  as  had  been  arranged.  The 
Welsh  Fusiliers  and  the  Americans  on  the  extreme  left 
proceeded  towards  the  western  angle  of  the  city  wall,  the 
advance  company  taking  cover  in  a  creek  some  three  hun 
dred  yards  from  the  wall,  and  the  remainder  settling  them 
selves  a  little  to  the  rear  behind  mud  walls  and  any  inequal 
ities  in  the  ground.  Their  position  was  an  unpleasant  one, 
for  in  addition  to  being  exposed  to  the  fire  from  the  wall, 
they  had  to  keep  an  eye  upon  a  large  body  of  Chinese  horse 
which  had  drawn  up  just  out  of  range  in  readiness  to  charge 
if  opportunity  offered  itself.  Unfortunately,  two  hundred 
of  the  American  infantry,  under  Colonel  Liscum,  instead 
of  continuing  forward,  turned  almost  at  a  right  angle  and 
marched  directly  across  the  front  of  the  attack  until  they 
reached  a  position  near  the  French  settlements.  They  were 
in  formation  of  sections  of  four,  and  were  exposed  to  a 
terrific  rifle  fire  from  the  whole  line  of  the  city  wall  and 
also  from  the  Chinese  houses  lying  between  the  wall  and 
the  settlements.  They  changed  their  line  of  advance,  but 
did  not  better  'their  position,  and  were  obliged  to  take  shelter 


DELAYS  235 

behind  the  Chinese  graves,  with  which  the  plain  was  studded. 
These  graves  are  only  small  mounds  of  earth,  and  though 
they  found  protection  behind  them  from  direct  fire  from 
the  walls,  they  were  still  exposed  to  a  flanking  fire  from  the 
houses.  Colonel  Liscum,  while  gallantly  steadying  his  men, 
was  killed,  and  four  officers  and  seventy-two  men  were 
wounded. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  send  them  fresh  ammunition. 
Captain  Ollivant  of  the  Chinese  regiment  was  killed  in  a 
gallant  attempt  to  draw  off  the  line  of  fire  with  some  ammu 
nition  mules,  and  the  Americans  wore  forced  to  lie  where 
they  were  until  nightfall,  when  they  fell  back  to  the  arsenal 
with  their  wounded  and  dead,  which  amounted  to  just  one- 
half  of  their  whole  number.  In  the  course  of  the  day 
Lieutenant  Phillimore  of  the  Barfleur  had  managed  to  get 
out  to  them  with  a  few  blue-jackets,  and  had  assisted  them 
materially,  both  in  holding  their  position  and  in  carrying 
back  to  the  arsenal  those  who  had  fallen.  Major  Pereira 
of  the  1st  Chinese  Regiment,  who  was  next  to  them,  went 
out  to  them  twice  to  bring  in  their  wounded.  He  was  hit 
himself  in  so  doing.  His  regiment  had  nineteen  casualties, 
including  two  officers. 

When  the  bombardment  had  somewhat  weakened  the 
Chinese  fire,  General  Fukushima  ordered  the  general  ad 
vance.  Unfortunately  he  received  word  that  his  men  had 
effected  a  lodgment  on  the  city  wall,  and  had  actually  got 
inside  the  town,  and  he  therefore  requested  General  Dorward 
to  stop  the  fire  of  the  British  guns,  which  was,  of  course, 
instantly  done.  Had  they  been  kept  in  action  half  an  hour 
longer  the  loss  to  the  Japanese  would  have  been  considerably 
less,  for  the  gunners  had  the  exact  range,  and  were  causing 
great  destruction.  However,  the  whole  line  of  attack  pushed 
forward  and  took  shelter  in  the  houses  outside  the  walls, 


236  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  that  the  Japanese  were  not 
in  the  city,  all  the  guns  again  opened  fire.  This  was  main 
tained  steadily  all  the  afternoon,  the  fire  of  the  large  naval 
guns  being  particularly  accurate.  While  the  Americans 
were  being  retired  from  their  advanced  position  in  the  even 
ing  these  guns  were  ordered  to  sweep  the  Chinese  barricades 
and  line  of  defended  houses,  from  which  Colonel  Liscum's 
force  had  been  so  much  harried  all  day.  The  Americans 
were  lying  about  three  hundred  yards  from  this  fringe,  and 
if  they  attempted  to  move  they  were  in  great  danger  of 
bing  hit,  but  the  fire  of  the  British  guns  was  so  accurate  that 
the  retiral  was  carried  out  without  one  casualty. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  a  company  of  marines  was  ordered 
to  reinforce  the  Japanese  and  French,  and  the  Austrian 
marines  went  with  them.  The  fire  was  so  heavy  and  accu 
rate  that  a  number  of  blue- jackets  under  Captain  Beattie 
hurried  forward  to  their  support.  A  heavy  cross-fire  was 
poured  upon  them,  and  several  of  the  men  fell,  among  them 
being  an  able  seaman  named  M'Carthy.  Basil  Guy,  one  of 
the  Barfleur's  midshipmen,  ran  back  and  bound  up  his 
wounds.  He  then  tried  to  lift  the  disabled  man  and  carry 
him  in,  but,  finding  the  weight  too  heavy  for  him,  he  ran 
forward  again,  got  the  stretcher,  and  returned  with  another 
seaman  to  assist  him.  As  the  rest  of  the  party  were  all  now 
under  shelter,  the  whole  fire  of  the  enemy  was  concentrated 
upon  him,  and  the  ground  was  literally  ploughed  up  with 
shot.  M'Carthy  was  placed  on  the  stretcher,  but  as  he  was 
being  carried  in,  he  was  again  hit,  and  this  time  killed.  For 
this  gallant  action  Guy  was  awarded  the  Victoria  Cross, 
being  the  only  midshipman  who  had  ever  gained  that  honour. 

The  troops  then  advanced  across  the  causeway,  suffering 
heavily  from  the  incessant  rifle  fire,  and  from  the  shell  and 
shrapnel  fire  of  two  guns  which  the  Chinese  had  posted  near 


BASIL  CUV    KAN    HACK   AND    HOUND    U1J   HIS   WOUNDS. 


DELAYS  237 

a  water-mill  at  the  right  of  the  road.  The  causeway  was  not 
more  than  thirty  feet  in  width,  so  that  the  troops  were  unable 
to  extend,  and  being  therefore  in  close  order,  afforded  an  ex 
cellent  mark  to  the  enemy.  Unfortunately  by  this  time  the 
Japanese  and  British  guns  had  expended  all  their  ammuni 
tion,  but  one  of  the  Hong-Kong  guns  had  still  a  few  rounds 
left,  and  directing  its  fire  upon  the  Chinese  guns  which  were 
doing  so  much  mischief,  brought  their  fire  on  itself,  and  so 
succeeded  in  enabling  the  column  to  pass  along  the  causeway 
with  far  less  damage  than  it  would  otherwise  have  suffered. 
The  Chinese  fire  was  on  the  whole  surprisingly  good,  and 
showed  that  their  artillerymen  had  been  well  instructed. 
While  our  own  guns  were  for  the  most  part  using  black 
powder,  the  Chinese  were  using  smokeless,  and  consequently 
it  was  very  difficult  for  our  artillerymen  «to  locate  their  exact 
position. 

The  troops  were  glad  enough  when  night  came  on.  The 
day  had  been  hot,  and  though  heavy  showers  had  fallen  in 
the  early  part  of  the  morning,  their  water-bottles  were  soon 
exhausted,  and  they  were  compelled  to  drink  the  green  stag 
nant  water  in  the  ditches,  with  the  result  that  a  great  num 
ber  of  them  afterwards  suffered  from  dysentery.  The  losses 
had  been  very  heavy,  and  the  question  of  retirement  was 
mooted,  only,  however,  to  be  at  once  rejected.  To  retire 
would  be  to  add  enormously  to  the  prestige  of  the  Chinese 
and  to  lower  the  spirit  of  the  troops.  It  was  therefore  re 
solved  that  the  ground  won  must  be  held  at  all  hazards,  and 
the  attack  recommenced  in  the  morning.  All  through  the 
night  the  enemy  kept  up  a  desultory  fire,  which  was  a  trying 
ordeal  for  the  troops,  fatigued  as  they  were  by  the  long  day's 
fight,  during  which  they  had  been  exposed  for  hours  to  a 
blazing  sun,  with  but  a  very  small  supply  of  food.  The 
Japanese  suffered  most  severely,  as  the  ground  they  were 


238  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

holding  on  both  sides  of  the  causeway  was  two  feet  deep  in 
water,  and  they  had  therefore  to  remain  standing  all  night. 

Just  before  sunrise  the  Japanese  sappers  stole  forward  to 
attempt  to  blow  in  the  outer  city  gate.  They  were  met  with 
a  tremendous  volley  of  musketry,  and  one  ball  cut  the  electric 
wire  which  was  to  have  been  used  for  firing  the  charge. 
Lieutenant  Inawe,  however,  pluckily  rushed  forward  with  a 
lighted  fuse,  and  escaped,  almost  miraculously,  unhurt. 
Meanwhile  one  of  the  Japanese  soldiers  had  pluckily  climbed 
the  inner  wall  and  unbarred  the  inner  gate,  and  the  Japanese 
poured  into  the  city,  the  Chinese  flying  before  them  in  all 
directions.  The  Japanese  were  followed  by  the  Welsh 
Fusiliers,  the  rest  of  the  troops  marching  round  on  the  broad 
city  walls  to  keep  as  many  of  the  enemy  from  escaping  as 
possible.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  fighting  in  the  streets 
and  firing  from  the  houses,  but  the  greater  part  of  the 
Chinese  troops  had  retired  during  the  night,  having  lost 
heart  when  they  found  that  their  assailants  maintained  their 
position  and  would  recommence  their  attack  in  the  morning. 
The  Chinese  loss  was  estimated  at  about  five  thousand;  that 
of  the  allies  was  under  eight  hundred,  of  which  five  hundred 
occurred  in  the  ranks  of  the  Japanese. 

The  streets  were  littered  with  Chinese  uniforms  and  the 
red  sashes  and  badges  of  the  Boxers,  of  which  they  had 
divested  themselves  as  they  ran.  Numbers  of  bodies  of 
people  killed  by  the  shells  lay  about,  but  only  two  women 
were  found  among  them,  which  seemed  to  show  that  the 
greater  portion  of  the  inhabitants  had  fled  before  the  attack 
began,  leaving  the  city  to  be  defended  by  the  Boxers  and 
the  Imperial  troops.  The  effect  of  the  lyddite  shells  from 
the  heavy  guns  had  been  terrible;  indeed  the  Chinese  looked 
upon  lyddite  as  a  sort  of  death-dealing  magic. 

The  tactics   of  the  attacking  troops  had  not  been  good, 


DELAYS  230 

owing  probably  to  the  divided  command.  Had  they  been 
marched  during  'the  darkness  they  could  have  gained  their 
position  in  the  houses  under  the  walls  with  comparatively 
slight  loss,  and  could  have  blown  in  the  gate  and  assaulted 
the  city  at  once,  instead  of  which  they  were  halted  a  long 
way  in  front  of  the  wall  and  then  marched  in  broad  daylight 
across  an  open  plain  devoid  of  cover,  and  halted  for  a  couple 
of  hours  under  fire  while  the  bridge  over  the  canal  was  being 
repaired.  Moreover,  almost  all  the  troops  were  engaged  in 
the  operation,  only  a  handful  being  left  to  guard  the  settle 
ments,  while  a  large  body  of  Chinese  cavalry  kept  hovering 
about  some  little  distance  away,  and  had  they  been  under  a 
competent  leader,  might  have  effected  an  entrance  into  the 
settlements  and  swept  them  from  end  to  end.  Still,  the 
capture  of  Tientsin  was  worth  the  risk;  it  opened  the  road 
to  Pekin,  and  relieved  both  Peiho  and  Shanghai  from  a 
danger  that  was  every  day  increasing.  It  also  conduced  to 
the  safety  of  every  foreigner  in  the  interior  of  China. 

While  the  fighting  had  been  going  on,  the  Russians  and 
Germans  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  circled  round  and 
stormed  the  batteries  on  the  Lupi  Canal,  taking  them  with 
comparatively  little  opposition.  During  their  advance  one 
of  the  Chinese  shells  fell  into  a  building  inside  the  Russian 
line,  in  which,  unknown  to  its  occupants,  dynamite  was 
stored.  The  explosion  was  terrific;  the  windows  of  most  of 
the  houses  in  the  settlements  were  shattered  by  it,  although 
it  occurred  some  way  off  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Tho 
Russian  general,  who,  with  his  staff,  was  close  by  at  the 
moment,  had  his  hand  damaged  by  a  falling  building,  his 
trumpeter  was  killed,  and  a  number  of  men  were  knocked 
down  by  the  force  of  the  concussion.  The  total  German  and 
Russian  loss  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed  and 
wounded.  The  Russians  were  aided  by  a  four-inch  gun  from 


240  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  Algerine  and  a  twelve-pounder  from  the  Terrible,  which 
rendered  most  valuable  aid,  as  the  Russians  had  with  them 
only  seven  twelve-pounders  of  an  old  pattern. 

The  British  guns  were  not  very  satisfactory  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Terrible's  twelve-pounder.  The  Hong-Kong 
guns  were  obsolete,  and  the  British  troops  had  none  others, 
with  the  exception  of  some  very  old-fashioned  naval  six- 
pounders.  Indeed  the  scandalous  fact  was  brought  to  light 
that  none  of  the  British  ships  on  the  China  station  were 
equipped  with  modern  quick-firing  guns. 

The  Welsh  Fusiliers,  after  joining  the  Japanese,  pushed 
through  the  city  up  to  the  north  gate,  and  advanced  beyond 
it  to  the  Grand  Canal,  where  they  captured  two  hundred 
junks  and  a  small  steamer.  The  Japanese  captured  also  a 
number  of  guns,  all  of  which  proved  very  useful  in  the 
march  to  Pekin. 

After  the  city  was  captured  the  Chinese  had  still  a  strong 
defensive  position.  They  had  fallen  back  to  the  railway  and 
to  the  fort  near  the  Viceroy's  yamen;  but  they  had  no  heart 
left  in  them,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  Japanese  entered  the 
fort  without  a  fight  and  took  possession  of  that  and  the 
yamen.  Forty-five  guns  were  found  in  the  former,  among 
them  the  big  Krupp  that  had  done  such  harm  to  the  settle 
ments  in  the  early  days  of  the  bombardment,  and  several 
fifteen-pounder  guns  of  recent  pattern. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  extinguish  the  fires  that 
were  raging  in  several  parts  of  the  city.  This  was  a  difficult 
matter,  and  was  not  accomplished  until  a  considerable  part 
of  the  city  had  been  consumed,  the  amount  of  property  de 
stroyed  being  enormous.  The  rest  of  the  city  was  systemat 
ically  looted.  The  Russians  had  not  entered  the  town,  but 
remained  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  They  had  at  once 
demanded  that  a  military  governor  should  be  appointed,  but 


DELAYS  241 

as  they  and  the  Japanese  were  much  superior  in  force  to  the 
other  nationalities  it  was  evident  that  they  intended  that  a 
Russian  should  be  nominated.  The  matter  was  discussed 
\vith  considerable  acerbity  at  a  council  of  commanding 
officers,  but  the  proposal  was  finally  rejected,  and  three 
commissioners,  Colonel  Wogack,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bower, 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Aoki  were  appointed  to  govern 
the  city  of  Tientsin,  which  was  divided  into  four  sections 
— British,  American,  French,  and  Japanese.  A  number 
of  Chinese  were  enlisted  to  act  as  police  under  Captain 
Mockler  of  the  Indian  army,  and  though  they  were  drilled 
by  a  Madras  sepoy,  who  could  not  understand  a  word  of 
their  language,  they  became  a  very  serviceable  body. 

Yu  Lu,  the  Viceroy,  managed  to  effect  his  escape  from  the 
yamen,  but  a  few  days  later  he  and  the  whole  of  his  family 
committed  suicide.  His  fate  was  certainly  a  hard  one.  Up 
to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  he  had  done  his  bestlo  suppress 
the  Boxers  and  protect  the  foreigners.  On  June  9  he  had 
tendered  his  resignation,  but  all  his  efforts  in  that  direction 
were  thwarted  by  the  governor,  and  he  was  ordered  to  remain 
where  he  was.  The  hostility  of  his  enemies  at  Pekin  was 
carried  beyond  the  grave,  for  an  order  was  made  for  his  post 
humous  degradation,  a  very  terrible  thing  for  a  Chinese 
family,  simply  because  he  had  failed  to  hold  Tientsin  against 
its  assailants. 

Many  small  forts  round  the  town  were  captured  without 
resistance.  These  mounted  many  guns,  and  the  fact  that  the 
garrisons  abandoned  them  without  resistance  showed  the 
complete  demoralization  of  the  Chinese.  If  only  the  assail 
ing  force  had  been  in  a  position  to  follow  up  their  work,  there 
is  little  doubt  that  they  could  have  arrived  at  Pekin  almost 
without  striking  a  blow. 

After  extinguishing  the  fire  the  troops  set  to  work  to  render 


242  WITH    THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

the  town  habitable.  Great  numbers  of  dead  were  removed 
from  the  houses  that  had  been  destroyed  by  shell  fire,  arid 
from  the  streets,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  town  was 
brought  into  a  satisfactory  sanitary  condition. 

There  was  now  a  long  pause.  While  the  British  and 
Americans  were  eager  to  advance  towards  Pekin  at  the  earli 
est  opportunity,  the  Russians  fell  back.  There  were  but  two 
of  their  people  in  Pekin,  and  it  was  evident  that  they  were 
far  more  desirous  of  getting  political  advantages  out  of  the 
situation  than  of  reaching  the  Legations.  They  maintained 
that  it  would  need  an  army  of  sixty  thousand  to  force  a  way 
up.  The  differences  between  them  and  the  other  nationalities 
became  more  and  more  acute,  and  matters  dragged  on  pain 
fully.  It  was  true  that  there  was  still  an  immense  deal  to  be 
done  before  a  force  of  even  twenty  thousand  men  could  be 
ready  to  advance,  but  in  spite  of  disagreement  between  the 
commanders,  work  was  carried  on  vigorously.  Junks  and 
carts  were  collected,  guns,  and  great  stores  of  provisions  and 
ammunition  were  brought  from  the  coast,  and  troops  poured 
in;  but  still  no  day  was  named  for  the  advance. 

The  anger  and  discontent  among  the  merchants  and  traders 
who  had  friends  in  Pekin  increased  daily.  Men  talked 
angrily  and  despairingly  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  and 
cursed  the  hesitation  and  bickering  on  the  part  of  the  mili 
tary.  Rex  went  about  with  his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets  and 
his  head  bent  down,  raging  and  pouring  out  abuse  against 
the  generals.  His  father  in  vain  tried  to  calm  him. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  said,  "  you  may  be  convinced  that  the 
five  thousand  or  six  thousand  men  that  we  have  here  are 
sufficient  for  the  advance,  but  even  I,  anxious  as  I  am  to  see 
an  expedition  set  out,  cannot  agree  with  you.  I  quite  believe 
that  if  on  the  day  after  we  had  taken  Tientsin  we  had  been 
ready  to  start,  five  thousand  men  might  have  done  it.  The 


DELAYS  243 

news  taken  by  the  flying  Chinese  would  have  sufficed  to  de 
moralize  the  enemy  all  over  the  country.  But  we  were  not 
ready,  and  the  delay  that  has  occurred  having  been  sufficient 
to  allow  the  Chinese  to  get  over  their  scare,  an  expedition  of 
only  five  thousand  men  would  inevitably  terminate  in  a 
fiasco,  as  did  that  under  Seymour. 

"  I  think  myself  that  at  least  ten  thousand  men  will  be 
necessary  to  relieve  Pekin.  That  force  will  require  a  large 
transport  train.  Besides,  though  we  have  taken  a  great 
number  of  Chinese  guns,  few  of  these  are  field-guns,  and,  as 
you  know,  we  are  at  present  terribly  deficient  in  artillery. 
Even  for  the  guns  we  have  there  is  no  ammunition,  for 
nearly  every  round  we  had  was  fired  away  the  other  day.  We 
have  no  provisions  for  the  troops,  and  must  wait  till  a  suffi 
cient  supply  is  collected  and  brought  up  here,  together  with 
the  guns  and  an  ample  supply  of  ammunition.  All  this 
cannot  be  done  in  a  day.  I  grant  that  we  do  not  seem  to  be 
pushing  on  matters  as  quickly  as  we  should  wish,  but  already 
five  trains  a  day  run  down  to  Taku,  and  an  immense  deal 
of  work  has  been  quietly  carried  on.  Besides,  the  military 
commanders  are  convinced  that  Pekin  has  already  fallen, 
and  that  there  is  no  occasion  whatever  for  haste.  Troopships 
are  expected  in  every  day  with  reinforcements  from  India. 
Japan,  Germany,  and  France,  and  when  in  another  week  we 
may  have  twenty  thousand  troops  here,  the  military  author 
ities  may  be  well  excused  for  not  deciding  upon  making  an 
attempt  with  a  quarter  of  that  force." 

"  Well,  Father,  I  hope  that  when  we  do  go  you  will  get  me 
attached  to  the  force  as  interpreter." 

"  Certainly,  Eex.  I  have  no  fear  that  when  the  force  does 
go  on  there  will  be  any  hitch  this  time.  Which  section  wrould 
you  like  to  be  attached  to  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think,  Father,  if  I  have  the  choice,  I  should  like 


244  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

to  go  with  the  Japs.  They  are  awfully  good  little  fellows, 
and  as  plucky  as  lions,  and  I  fancy  that  as  they  are  so  strong 
they  are  certain  to  be  well  in  front.  I  should  really  like  to 
go  with  them." 

"  Very  well,  I  have  been  supplying  them  with  a  great  many 
goods,  and  have  spoken  to  their  general  several  times.  He 
talks  English  very  well.  When  I  tell  him  that  you  have  been 
twice  into  Pekin  since  it  was  besieged,  and  brought  down  the 
last  message  that  got  through  from  the  British  Minister,  I 
should  think  he  would  be  glad  to  take  you." 

Two  days  later  Hex  learned  that  he  had  obtained  an  ap 
pointment  as  interpreter  with  the  Japanese  troops,  and  that 
the  general  requested  that  he  should  begin  his  duties  at  once. 
It  was  a  great  relief  to  him  to  be  employed  again,  as  it  took 
his  thoughts  off  his  friends  at  Pekin.  There  was  not,  how 
ever,  much  to  do.  The  Japanese  arrangements  were  all  so 
perfect,  the  men  so  quick  and  handy,  that  there  was  no  occa 
sion  for  his  services  except  in  making  small  purchases,  and 
in  arranging  with  Chinese  coolies  to  man  the  junks,  and 
with  country-people  for  carts.  There  was  some  difficulty  in 
obtaining  provisions,  for  the,  Russians  had  carried  fire  and 
sword  among  all  the  villages  to  a  considerable  distance  on 
their  side  of  the  river,  burning  the  houses  and  generally 
killing  the  inhabitants.  The  consequence  was  that  no  sup 
plies  could  be  got  on  that  side  of  the  river.  The  villagers, 
however,  began  to  come  in  from  the  north  side,  very  timidly 
at  first,  but  more  boldly  when  they  found  that  they  were  un 
molested  by  the  soldiers,  for  American,  British,  and  Japanese 
all  treated  them  well,  and,  after  the  sack  of  the  city  was  over, 
resumed  their  ordinary  discipline. 

Stores  were  now  accumulating  fast.  Every  train  from 
Taku  brought  up  troops,  guns,  ammunition,  and  provisions. 
The  greatest  difficulty  was  the  disembarkment  of  these  from 


DELAYS  245 

the  ships  thirteen  miles  away.  Some  of  the  merchant  ships 
of  light  draught  were  able  to  come  in  and  unload  at  the 
wharves.  The  blue- jackets  and  marines  in  the  men-of-war 
aided  in  loading  up  the  trucks,  and  the  work  went  on  with 
great  rapidity. 

Many  of  the  Japanese  officers  spoke  English,  and  Rex  was 
soon  at  home  among  them,  and  found  them  very  cheery, 
pleasant  companions.  Their  general  was  a  very  agreeable 
man,  with  charming  manners,  and  immensely  popular  among 
his  troops.  The  greater  portion  of  these  were  stationed  in 
Tientsin,  where  they  maintained  perfect  order  in  the  district 
assigned  to  them,  and  Rex  found  that  the  natives  returned 
more  fearlessly  to  their  districts  than  to  those  occupied  by 
other  nationalities. 

On  July  the  20th  a  letter  came  down  from  Mr.  Conger, 
the  United  States  Minister  at  Pekin,  saying  that  they  had 
been  besieged  for  a  month  under  continuous  shot  and  shell 
from  the  Chinese  troops,  and  that  quick  relief  only  could 
prevent  general  massacre.  This  woke  up  the  military  com 
manders.  General  Gaselee,  who  commanded  the  British  con 
tingent,  and  General  Chaffee,  who  commanded  the  Amer 
icans,  insisted  that  an  attempt  at  relief  should  be  made  at  all 
hazards.  To  wait  until  sixty  thousand  men  were  assembled 
would  be  simply  to  sacrifice  the  Legations,  and  they  informed 
the  other  commanders  that  'they  were  determined  to  start 
even  if  they  had  to  go  alone. 

There  was  still  much  to  be  done  before  arrangements  were 
completed,  but  the  work  went  on  with  increased  life  and 
spirit  now  that  it  was  certain  that  the  Legations  were  still 
holding  out.  It  was  not,  however,  until  August  4  that  all  was 
ready.  Even  then  jealousies  had  arisen;  both  the  Russians 
and  the  Japanese  wished  to  lead  the  advance,  and  none  wished 
to  accept  a  position  behind  the  others.  General  Gaselee  then 


246  WITH   THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

said  that  the  British  would  take  the  rear-guard,  as  he  only 
wished  to  get  to  Pekin,  and  did  not  care  in  the  least  which 
of  the  columns  got  there  first  so  long  as  they  reached  it  in 
time  to  relieve  the  Legations.  After  this  act  of  abnegation 
it  was  very  satisfactory  that  the  British  force  was  the 
first  to  enter  the  Legations. 

The  force  was  made  up  as  follows: — Eight  thousand 
Japanese  under  Lieutenant-General  Baron  Yamaguchi,  with 
Major-General  Fukushima  as  Chief  of  the  staff;  four  thou 
sand  five  hundred  Russians  under  General  Linievitch;  three 
thousand  British  under  Lieutenant-General  Sir  A.  Gaselee, 
Major-General  Barrow  being  his  Chief  of  the  staff;  two 
thousand  five  hundred  Americans  under  General  Chaffee; 
eight  hundred  French  under  General  Frey.  The  total  force 
amounted  to  eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred.  No  Germans 
took  part  in  the  expedition,  and  it  was  generally  supposed 
that  they  preferred  taking  care  of  their  own  possessions  at 
Shantung  to  rescuing  the  Legations.  The  total  Japanese 
force,  if  they  had  all  arrived,  would  have  been  twenty-two 
thousand.  The  Russians  had  three  thousand  men  at  their 
camp  between  Tientsin  and  Chefou,  and  a  few  British  troops 
were  left  in  Tientsin.  It  had  been  originally  intended  that 
Sir  A.  Gaselee  should  have  a  force  of  over  seven  thousand, 
but  half  the  troops  he  brought  with  him  had  stopped  at 
Shanghai  by  telegraphic  instructions  from  home.  This, 
though  no  doubt  the  presence  of  so  large  a  force  at  Shanghai 
was  useful  in  preventing  trouble  in  the  south  of  China, 
caused  us  to  assume  a  very  subordinate  position  in  the  expe 
dition  to  Pekin,  the  Japanese,  with  their  large  force,  doing 
the  principal  work  of  the  campaign. 

As  the  time  advanced,  Rex,  whose  despair  at  the  long 
delay  had  driven  him  almost  distracted,  began  to  fear  that 
the  expedition  would  arrive  too  late.  He  was,  of  course, 


DELAYS  247 

ignorant  that  the  capture  of  Tientsin  had  had  a  powerful 
effect  on  the  position  at  Pekin.  The  Chinese  had  believed 
that  the  place  was  impregnable,  and  so  long  as  it  was  there 
to  menace  the  rear  of  an  invading  army  they  felt  perfectly 
safe.  It  was  a  tremendous  blow  to  them  therefore  to  learn 
that  this  city,  with  all  its  forts,  guns,  and  supplies  of  ammu 
nition,  had  been  captured  after  a  single  day's  fighting,  and 
the  consequence  was  that  their  indecision  increased. 

The  war  party  were  confused,  and  the  peace  party,  headed 
by  Prince  Ching,  gained  vastly  greater  influence  in  the  coun 
cils  of  the  Empress.  The  consequence  was  that  for  twenty 
days  after  the  arrival  of  the  news  something  like  a  truce 
prevailed.  The  besieged  were  even  able  to  purchase  small 
supplies  of  provisions  and  fruit,  and  their  condition  became 
much  more  tolerable.  It  was  probable  that  the  Empres3 
would  have  thrown  herself  altogether  into  the  hands  of  the 
peace  party  had  it  not  been  that  the  delay  011  the  part  of  the 
allies  had  enabled  the  panic-stricken  Chinese  soldiers  to 
recover  their  morale  and  discipline.  They  had  been  very 
strongly  reinforced,  and  it  was  confidently  hoped  that  they 
would  be  able  to  defeat  the  allies  when  they  advanced.  Thus 
the  miserable  delays  caused  by  the  jealousy  of  the  allied  com 
manders  were  not  as  prejudicial  to  the  Legations  as  they 
otherwise  would  have  been. 

When  hostilities  were  renewed,  had  the  Chinese  attacked 
as  actively  as  they  had  done  before  the  fall  of  Tientsin,  it  is 
morally  certain  that  the  defenders  of  the  Legations  would 
have  found  it  impossible  to  continue  their  resistance,  and 
that  they  would  have  been  massacred. 

"  The  Russians  are  at  the  bottom  of  all  this  hateful  delay," 
said  Rex.  "I  am  convinced  that  the  Japs,  though  the 
strongest  in  numbers,  would  give  in  willingly  were  it  not 
that  the  Russians  are  always  making  fresh  demands.  We 


248  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

and  the  Americans  only  want  to  get  there,  and  the  French 
are  in  such  small  numbers  that  it  does  not  matter  a  rap  what 
they  think  of  it.  It  is  the  Kussians  who  are  to  blame." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  about  that,  Rex,"  his  father  said.  "  I 
believe  they  are  playing  a  double  game.  They  want  to  pose 
as  the  friends  of  China  and  thus  obtain  concessions  and  an 
overwhelming  influence  at  Pekin.  This,  it  would  seem,  they 
try  to  do  by  all  sorts  of  delays,  by  advancing  petty  claims, 
and  by  generally  putting  their  spoke  into  the  wheel.  They 
have  already  got  Manchuria  under  their  thumb,  and  they  will 
certainly  stick  to  it  unless  China  is  backed  up  by  the  other 
powers  and  they  unite  in  insisting  that  China  shall  not  suffer 
further  loss  of  territory  at  the  hands  of  the  Russians  or  any 
one  else.  There  is  no  question  that  that  is  our  best  policy. 
It  is  to  our  interest  that  China  shall  remain  whole  and  united 
and  capable  of  holding  her  own  against  Russia.  Neither 
Britain  nor  Japan  can  have  any  desire  for  territory,  and 
after  the  war  is  over,  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive  be 
tween  these  two  nations  would  be  worth  all  the  loss  of  life 
and  property  we  have  incurred." 

"  That  would  be  grand,  Father.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  Japs  are  beggars  to  fight.  The  way  they  smashed  China 
showed  that,  and  the  other  day  they  certainly  did  at  least 
as  well  as  the  other  nationalities.  With  their  fleet  and  ours 
combined  we  could  hold  our  own  with  the  greatest  ease 
against  Russia  and  France,  even  if  Germany  were  to  join 
them.  We  are  showing  them  now  in  South  Africa  what  an 
army  we  can  put  in  the  field,  and  wit>h  our  Indian  army  and 
that  of  the  Japs  we  could,  if  pressed,  drive  the  Russians  out 
of  Asia." 

"  That  would  be  a  big  order,"  his  father  laughed,  "  but  we 
could  certainly  effectually  prevent  them  from  meddling  with 
China  and  make  them  keep  within  their  own  boundaries. 


DELAYS  249 

Besides,  we  should  have  China  to  count  with  also.  China  has 
wakened  up  since  the  war  with  Japan,  and  has  gone  in  for 
the  best  modern  guns  and  rifles.  If  she  had  let  two  more 
years  pass  before  beginning  this  row  we  should  have  found 
her  a  very  formidable  opponent.  Her  troops  would  then  have 
become  as  well-disciplined  as  ours." 

"  Well,  then,  I  am  very  glad,  Father,  that  they  did  not  wait 
for  another  two  years.  We  found  it  pretty  hard  work  as  it 
was  to  take  Tientsin,  and  if  the  greater  part  of  their  army 
had  not  moved  out  during  the  night  I  doubt  very  much 
whether  we  should  have  captured  it.  It  was  lucky  indeed 
that  we  stuck  to  it  during  the  night;  it  was  only  that  that 
turned  the  scale.  You  know  the  old  story,  Father,  of  a 
Chinaman  who  excused  defeat  by  saying:  '  Two  men  cannot 
be  in  one  place ;  if  one  must  come  the  other  must  go.' " 

His  father  laughed. 

"  Well,  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  something  like  that,  Rex. 
When  the  Chinese  saw  that  we  were  quite  determined  to  get 
into  Tientsin,  our  obstinacy  .and  fixedness  of  purpose  told 
upon  them,  and  they  began  to  say :  '  These  people  have  made 
up  their  minds  to  come,  therefore  we  had  better  go.'  Cer 
tainly  they  showed  a  great  deal  of  pluck  during  the  first 
day's  fighting;  even  the  tremendous  cannonade  to  which  they 
were  exposed  did  not  seem  to  shake  their  courage  at  all,  for 
they  fought  as  stoutly  at  the  end  of  the  day  as  they  did  at 
the  beginning.  We  can  hardly  say  that  we  gained  any  ad 
vantage  whatever.  We  certainly  have  every  reason  to  con 
gratulate  ourselves  on  the  fact  that  they  lost  courage  when 
they  came  to  think  it  over  after  nightfall.  Well,  I  have  not 
the  least  fear  that  the  force  that  is  starting  to-morrow  will 
fail.  If  the  Chinese  did  not  stand  when  fighting  behind 
strong  walls,  supported  by  a  circle  of  strong  forts  mounting  a 
prodigious  number  of  cannon,  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they 


250  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

will  make  anything  like  a  determined  resistance  in  the  open. 
I  anticipate  that  the  difficulties  will  rather  be  in  getting  to 
Pekin  than  in  defeating  the  enemy.  We  know  that  the  banks 
of  the  Peiho  have  been  cut  and  a  large  stretch  of  country 
inundated,  and  consequently  the  river  is  so  sunk  that  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  even  the  lighter  craft  among  the  junks 
will  be  able  to  get  up.  If  they  cannot,  the  expedition  will  be 
in  nearly  the  same  position  as  that  of  Admiral  Seymour. 
They  can't  march  without  provisions,  ammunition,  and  guns, 
and  certainly  the  amount  of  land  transport  they  have  col 
lected  is  nothing  like  sufficient  for  that.  They  must  chiefly 
depend  upon  their  junks,  and  if  the  river  fails  them  they 
are  brought  to  a  stand-still." 

"I  am  afraid  that  is  so,  Father,"  Hex  said;  "but  at  any 
rate  we  must  hope  for  the  best.0 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CAPTURING  THE  TAKU  FORTS 

ONE  afternoon  Rex  went  to  see  his  friend  the  midshipman 
at  the  barricade. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me,"  Rex  said,  "  all  about  the  cap 
ture  of  the  Taku  Forts.  Beyond  the  fact  that  they  were 
captured  I  have  heard  next  to  nothing." 

"  Well,  it  is  rather  a  long  story,"  the  middy  said,  "  but  as 
everything  is  quiet,  I  don't  mind  telling  you  about  it  if  you 
like." 

"  I  should  be  very  much  obliged  if  you  would,"  Rex  said. 

"  Well,  then,  here  goes.  You  have  not  seen  the  place,  I 
suppose  ? " 

"  No." 

"  Well,  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  strongly  fortified,  es 
pecially  on  the  north  side,  where  there  is  a  big  casemated  fort 
with  earthworks,  mounting  altogether  some  fifty  guns  of 
different  sizes.  A  third  of  a  mile  farther  up  the  river  is  the 
inner  fort,  which  is  very  strong,  but  smaller  than  the  other, 
and  mounts  about  thirty  guns.  An  earthwork  covered-way 
connects  the  two  forts,  and  the  parapet  is  pierced  for  many 
small  guns.  On  the  south  side,  extending  a  mile  along  the 
shore,  are  a  number  of  casemated  batteries,  mounting  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  guns.  These  are  good  guns,  and  for 
the  most  part  modern.  There  is  also  an  inner  fort  a  mile  in 
land,  built  for  the  defence  of  the  main  magazines. 

"  All  these  fortifications  consist  of  earthworks  with  cement 

251 


252  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  concrete  galleries.  They  are  wonderfully  well  built; 
-certainly  as  good  as  any  I  have  ever  seen.  You  see,  mud 
is  the  usual  substance  with  which  they  build  houses  in 
China,  and  they  are  wonderfully  clever  with  it.  At  many 
points  of  the  fortification  there  are  high  <and  very  powerful 
redoubts,  which  carry  at  their  angles  very  big  modern  guns, 
mostly  Krupp  quick-firers.  All  these  forts  seem  to  have 
been  designed  by  foreigners;  I  don't  think  the  Chinese 
would  ever  have  been  up  to  such  work  if  they  hadn't  had 
foreign  instructors.  Apparently,  however,  they  sacked  these 
fellows  when  they  had  finished  the  batteries,  and  themselves 
carried  out  the  rest  of  the  work.  There  hasn't  been  any 
regular  garrison  in  these  forts  for  some  years,  but  officials 
and  hangers-on  have  resided  there.  When  the  row  began, 
however,  troops  came  marching  in,  and  we  calculated  that 
at  the  time  of  the  bombardment  they  were  occupied  by  some 
eight  thousand  men.  I  fancy  they  were  good  soldiers,  for 
they  came  from  Hunan,  which  province  is  considered  to  turn 
out  the  best  soldiers  in  China.  Their  general,  Liu,  came  from 
the  same  place. 

"  Unfortunately  the  water  near  the  forts  is  very  shoal,  and 
war-vessels  that  drew  twenty  feet  of  water  were  obliged  to 
heave-to  five  miles  off  the  bar;  that  is  to  say,  ten  miles  off 
the  forts.  By  the  fifteenth  there  were  twenty-five  foreign 
men-of-war  here — British,  French,  German,  Austrian,  Rus 
sian,  Italian,  and  Japanese.  An  American  ship  oame  up  a 
day  or  two  before  the  battle.  It  was  difficult  getting  news 
so  far  out,  so  the  admiral's  light-draught  yacht  anchored 
close  outside  the  bar,  and  they  ran  a  wire  into  the  destroyer 
Fame,  which  was  anchored  just  outside  the  fort.  By  this 
means  despatches  were  wired  out  to  the  yacht,  and  either 
flashed  or  semaphored  to  the  fleet.  A  mile  above  the  fort  was 
the  Imperial  naval  yard  and  docks,  and  lying  moored  to  the 


CAPTURING   THE   TAKU   FORTS  253 

wharves  were  four  very   fine   thirty-two-knot   German-built 
destroyers,  with  full  Chinese  crews  on  board. 

"  During  the  day  before  the  battle  everyone  was  on  the 
qui  vive,  for  it  was  known  that  a  summons  to  surrender  next 
day  had  been  sent  in  to  the  forts.  Only  two  trains  were 
despatched  for  Tientsin,  and  both  these  had  to  be  worked 
by  engineers  from  the  fleet,  for  all  the  Chinese  had  dis 
appeared.  A  large  Japanese  force  was  landed  from  their 
ship,  and  encamped  by  the  side  of  the  railway  at  Tongku, 
two  miles  from  the  forts.  Later  in  the  day  they  shifted  camp 
to  the  other  side  of  the  railway,  to  make  room  for  a  large 
Russian  infantry  force  that  had  just  come  in  from  Port 
Arthur.  Two  hundred  blue-jackets  from  our  ships  encamped 
near  them  in  the  evening,  at  the  head  of  the  road  to  the 
forts.  A  train  came  down  from  Tientsin  in  the  afternoon 
containing  a  number  of  foreigners,  principally  women  and 
children,  who  at  once  took  shelter  on  some  merchant  steamers 
lying  off  the  wharves. 

"  During  the  day  the  Fame  dropped  her  end  of  the  wire, 
and,  steaming  up  the  river,  took  up  her  station  by  the  four 
Chinese  destroyers  in  the  middle  yard.  The  Algerine,  which 
had  been  lying  between  the  north  and  south  forts,  also  moved 
up  the  river  to  a  berth  about  a  third  of  a  mile  off  the  inner 
north  fort.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  three  Russian  gun 
boats  were  moored  in  line;  higher  still  lay  the  German 
gunboats,  moored  to  one  of  the  wharves;  and  a  little  lower 
down  was  the  French  Lion.  At  another  wharf  higher  up  lay 
the  Japanese  Atago,  and  higher  up  the  United  States  paddle- 
wheel  steamer  Monocacy.  I  hope  I  am  not  boring  you  with 
too  many  particulars  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  giving  me  such 
a  good  account ;  I  seem  to  be  able  to  see  the  whole  thing." 

"  Well,    I    must   tell   you    that    the   Monocacy    had   been 


254  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ordered  to  take  no  share  in  the  business,  but  she  did  useful 
work  in  giving  shelter  to  a  number  of  women  and  children. 
Although  we  knew  that  an  ultimatum  had  been  sent  in,  no 
body  dreamed  that  the  rumpus  was  going  to  begin  so  soon. 
We  thought  that,  as  usual,  messages  would  be  exchanged,  and 
that  the  thing  would  drag  011  a  little  before  anything  serious 
came  of  it.  The  Algerine  had  her  ventilators  up,  masts  all 
standing,  and  yards  crossed.  The  Germans  on  the  IHis  had 
landed  their  boats  and  ventilators  some  days  before;  the 
Lion  had  housed  her  ventilators  but  still  had  her  yards 
crossed.  At  nine  o'clock  a  long  searchlight  train  went  out 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenants  Kirkpatrick  and  Biley, 
with  the  twelve-pounder  Hotchkiss,  two  Maxims,  and  a  hun 
dred  men — German,  British,  and  French.  It  was  stoked  by 
British  blue-jackets,  and  was  driven  by  a  German  engineer 
from  the  Iltis. 

"  All  watched  the  glare  of  the  searchlight  for  about  three 
hours,  till  it  disappeared  across  the  plain  in  the  direction  of 
Tientsin.  Then  all  who  were  on  the  port  watch  turned  in. 
We  had  scarcely  got  into  our  hammocks  when  there  was  the 
boom  of  a  heavy  gun,  and  you  can  imagine  how  quickly  we  all 
jumped  into  our  clothes  again  and  ran  on  deck.  We  could 
see  that  the  inner  north  fort  was  firing,  and  guessed  that  the 
Algerine,  which  was  lying  nearest  to  her,  was  the  target.  No 
return  shot  came  from  her,  and  it  was  evident  that  she  was 
taken  as  much  by  surprise  as  we  were.  Bom,  bom,  bom  went 
the  big  guns.  It  was  about  five  minutes  before  the  Algerine 
replied,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  three  Russian  gun-boats 
returned  the  fire,  and  the  Iltis  and  the  Lion  also  joined  in. 

"  Of  course,  all  this  part  of  the  business  I  am  telling  you 
from  hearsay,  for  we  were  necessarily  only  spectators  of  the 
affray;  and  you  can  imagine,  Bateman,  that  we  were  hopping 
mad  with  being  altogether  out  of  it.  It  was  enough  to 


CAPTURING    THE    TAKU    FORTS  255 

make  one  tear  one's  hair.  However,  the  great  part  of  the 
blue- jackets  and  marines  were  ashore,  and  would  soon  be 
having  a  look-in;  but  there  were  we,  as  much  out  of  it  as  if 
we  were  off  Spithead.  Well,  of  course,  now  that  I  have  had 
my  turn  ashore  here  I  am  satisfied,  but  at  the  time  it  was 
maddening. 

"  Nevertheless  it  was  a  splendid  sight,  I  can  tell  you.  All 
the  forts  had  now  joined  in,  and  the  flashes  that  burst  from 
them  and  from  the  gun-boats  were  almost  incessant.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  Iltis  steamed  down  at  full  speed  from  her 
wharf  and  joined  the  three  Russians  and  the  Algerine,  the 
crews  of  which  cheered  her  enthusiastically  as  she  went  into 
action.  Shortly  afterwards  the  French  Lion  also  came  down. 
She  had  been  lying  with  her  head  up  the  river,  and  so  had 
taken  longer  than  the  Iltis.  She,  too,  was  warmly  welcomed. 
The  whole  of  the  forts  were  now  pouring  in  a  heavy  can 
nonade,  and  every  gun  that  could  be  brought  to  bear  from 
the  six  gun-boats  replied  at  a  range  of  hardly  a  mile.  The 
Iltis,  with  her  eight  3.4  quick-firers,  and  the  Algerine,  with 
her  4-inch  guns,  engaged  the  north  fort.  The  Lion,  with  her 
two  5.5-iiich  guns,  joined  them,  while  the  three  Russians  di 
rected  their  fire  on  the  south  forts.  They  were  all  heavily 
armed,  the  Bobr  had  a  9-inch  gun  in  her  bows,  and  a  6-inch  in 
her  stern.  The  Corkoretch  had  two  8-inch  guns  and  one 
6-inch,  and  the  Gilyak  had  one  4-inch  gun  in  her  bows,  two 
2.6-inch  guns  and  four  1.8-inch  guns  in  her  military  top. 

"  All  the  ships  kept  up  a  heavy  and  methodical  fire  from 
the  machine-guns  in  their  tops,  and  so  searched  out  the 
bastions;  while  the  heavy  guns  made  it  impossible  for  the 
gunners  to  stick  to  their  work.  It  was,  however,  difficult 
to  keep  up  an  accurate  fire  against  a  gun  in  the  shade  of  the 
forts.  Many  of  the  Chinese  soldiers  left  the  fort,  and,  taking 
cover  among  the  mud-houses,  maintained  a  heavy  fire  on  the 


256  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

men  on  deck  and  in  the  tops,  and  the  Gilyak,  which  was 
closest  to  the  village,  suffered  heavily. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Fame  and  the  Whiting  had  been  ordered 
to  attack  the  four  Chinese  destroyers  lying  in  dock.  As  they 
approached,  however,  the  Chinese  crews  jumped  ashore  and 
bolted.  The  Fame  grappled  one,  and  towed  it  down  the  river 
to  Tongku,  two  tow-boats  belonging  to  a  mercantile  company 
took  the  two  others  in  charge,  and  the  Whiting  brought  out 
the  fourth.  These  four  splendid  destroyers,  if  they  had  been 
manned  with  resolute  crews,  could  have  sunk  six  gun-boats 
without  difficulty. 

"  The  battle  raged  till  morning.  The  gun-boats  were  doing 
their  utmost  to  keep  down  the  fire  of  the  forts ;  but  although 
the  practice  was  excellent,  they  quite  failed  to  do  so  owing  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  the  exact  range.  For 
tunately  the  fire  of  the  Chinese  was  extremely  inaccurate. 
The  gunners  were  evidently  unaccustomed  to  work  heavy 
guns,  such  as  they  were  now  handling,  and  although  they 
stuck  gallantly  to  their  work  in  spite  of  the  large  number  of 
casualties,  they  did  little  damage.  Sometimes  the  powder 
charges  were  altogether  too  heavy,  sametimes  so  light  that  the 
shot  never  reached  the  ships.  Their  shells  almost  all  failed 
to  burst.  Sometimes  a  shot  would  fall  close  alongside,  and 
the  next  would  go  clean  overhead. 

"  As  daylight  approached,  the  boats  got  up  anchor,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Qilyak,  which  had  received  a  heavy 
projectile  on  her  water-line.  She  made  water  fast,  but  still 
maintained  a  heavy  fire,  and  remained  at  her  moorings  while 
the  damage  was  being  temporarily  repaired,  though  she  suf 
fered  severely  in  consequence.  You  may  imagine  what  a 
state  of  mind  we  were  all  in  on  board  the  larger  ships.  There 
were  those  six  little  boats  fighting  against  a  whole  chain  of 
huge  forts  that  ought  to  have  sunk  them  at  the  first  round. 


CAPTURING    THE    TAKU   FORTS  25V 

"  Meanwhile,  of  course,  our  fellows,  the  Russians,  and 
Japs,  who  had  landed  the  day  before,  were  not  idle.  Natu 
rally  they  got  under  arms  as  soon  as  the  first  gun  was  fired, 
but  they  could  really  do  nothing  until  daylight,  for  they  were 
ignorant  of  the  country,  which  was  all  cut  up  with  dykes  and 
ditches. 

"  If  the  force  had  tried  to  cross  there  in  the  dark  they 
would  speedily  have  been  broken  up  and  half  of  them  would 
have  been  mired.  They  chafed  very  much,  however,  at  the 
delay,  though  they  recognized  the  necessity  of  it,  and  they  set 
out  eagerly  at  the  first  gleam  of  daylight. 

"  When  they  got  up  anchor,  the  gun-boats  moved  back 
wards  and  forwards,  engaging  a  fort  here,  plumping  shell 
into  another  somewhere  else,  and  seeming  to  care  nothing  at 
all  for  the  rain  of  shot  and  shell  to  which  they  were  exposed. 
It  was  difficult  for  us  to  keep  count  of  them,  moving  about 
as  they  did,  and  more  than  once  a  good  many  of  us  thought 
that  one  of  them  was  gone. 

"Presently  we  were  all  in  the  boats  and  making  for  the 
shore.  Day  began  to  break  just  as  we  approached  the  forts. 
At  this  moment  the  Chinese  gunners  doubled  their  fire,  and 
now  we  thought  the  gun-boats  could  never  live  under  such  a 
storm  of  shot  and  shell.  But  their  fire  was  as  regular  as  ever, 
and  the  fact  that  they  were  all  in  motion  seemed  to  bother 
the  Chinese  gunners  as  much  as  the  darkness  had  done.  A 
10-inch  gun  isn't  easily  managed  by  men  who  have  never 
used  such  a  toy  before,  so  that  although  the  fire  from  the 
smaller  guns  was  more  accurate  than  it  had  been,  it  seemed 
to  us  that  the  big  ones  fired  less  frequently.  The  Iltis  was  hit 
by  a  heavy  shot,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  magazine  at  the 
northern  end  of  the  south  fort  blew  up.  The  Chinese  fire 
slackened  a  little,  but  in  a  short  time  the  action  was  as  hot  as 
ever. 


258  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  We  and  the  Japs  were  making  for  the  north  forts,  and 
the  Russians  for  the  other  side.  I  tell  you,  Bateman,  things 
looked  nasty.  By  six  o'clock  the  storming  parties  were  near 
the  north  forts,  and  a  heavy  fire  was  already  opened  upon 
them;  but  they  pushed  steadily  forward  until  at  eighteen 
minutes  past  six  the  main  magazine  of  the  south  forts  blew 
up.  The  concussion  was  terrible,  and  a  dense  black  column 
of  smoke  and  fragments  of  all  sorts  rose  a  thousand  feet  in 
the  air. 

"Firing  stopped  instantly,  and  for  half  a  minute  a 
dead  silence  reigned.  Then  a  tremendous  cheer  rose  from  the 
gun-boats  and  storming  parties,  and  the  latter  raced  forward 
to  the  assault.  Firing  was  renewed  more  briskly  than  ever 
on  both  sides,  but  at  half-past  six  the  resistance  had  almost 
ceased,  and  the  British  flag  was  hoisted  on  the  north  fort, 
followed  a  minute  later  by  that  of  the  Japanese.  The  gar 
rison  of  the  southern  fort,  appalled  by  the  destruction  that 
had  been  made  by  the  explosion,  were  already  in  full  flight 
across  the  plain,  and  now  those  on  the  north  side  were  en 
deavouring  to  follow  their  example. 

"  The  number  of  casualties  among  the  storming  party  had 
not  been  large,  that  of  the  British  and  Japanese  amounting 
to  only  twenty-six  killed  and  wounded.  The  casualties  in 
the  gun-boats  were  remarkably  few,  almost  miraculously  so 
considering  the  fire  to  which  they  had  been  exposed.  The 
Russians  had  suffered  most,  having  sixteen  men  killed  and 
three  officers  and  fifty-two  men  wounded;  the  Germans  had 
six  killed  and  fifteen  wounded;  the  French  one  officer  killed 
and  one  man  wounded;  and  the  British  three  men  killed  and 
one  officer  wounded.  The  Chinese  actually  in  the  forts  con 
sisted  of  three  thousand  men.  The  rest  were  in  support 
behind  and  near  the  line  of  railway,  and  took  no  part  in 
the  affair.  Nearly  one  thousand  killed  were  found  in  the 


CAPTURING    THE    TAKU    FORTS  259 

forts,  and  the  prisoners,  who  were  nearly  as  many,  were  set 
to  throw  the  bodies  into  the  river. 

"  All  communications  ceased  with  Tientsin  from  the  time 
of  the  capture  of  the  forts,  and  it  was  not  till  some  days  after 
wards  that  we  learned  from  a  man  who  rode  through  the 
Chinese  lines  that  the  place  was  besieged  and  that  the  garri 
son  were  hardly  able  to  hold  their  own. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  fine  action,  and  we,  who 
had  been  left  on  board  the  ship,  were  very  sore  at  being  out 
of  it;  but,  of  course,  even  if  we  had  been  ashore,  we  should 
only  have  been  with  the  assaulting  column,  and  their  share  in 
the  business  was  a  very  small  one.  The  gun-boats  had  all 
the  fighting  and  all  the  glory.  I  dare  say,  however,  that  we 
shall  get  our  share  presently.  I  don't  think  the  Chinese  are 
much  good  in  the  open,  but  I  fancy  they  can  stick  to  their 
walls,  and  in  the  narrow  streets  we  may  have  very  sharp 
work." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  grand  affair,"  Rex  said.  "  Fancy  six 
little  gun-boats  fighting  for  so  many  hours  against  forts 
mounting  nearly  three  hundred  guns !  Of  course  some  of 
these  couldn't  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  but  there  must 
have  been  enough  to  blow  them  out  of  the  water  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour." 

"  One  would  certainly  think  so,  but  we  must  remember  that 
the  guns  had  to  be  very  much  depressed,  and  the  gunners 
could  not  very  well  make  out  the  boats  in  the  dark.  Of 
course  the  flashes  of  their  guns  showed  their  position,  but 
I  expect  the  Chinese,  who  were  new  hands  at  the  work,  did 
not  understand  how  to  sling  those  heavy  pieces  about  or  give 
them  the  right  elevation.  There  is  no  doubt  that  they  stick 
to  their  guns  manfully.  I  was  talking  to  some  of  the  Al- 
gerine  fellows  and  they  told  me  that  several  times  when  they 
had  managed  to  send  shell  after  shell  close  to  a  gun  that  had 


260  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

been  annoying  them,  it  was  silent  for  a  half  a  minute  or  so 
and  then,  when  they  thought  that  they  had  finished  with  it, 
the  beggars  began  to  fire  again  as  regularly  as  before,  though 
it  is  probable  that  three-fourths  of  the  detachment  before 
working  it  had  been  blown  into  smithereens." 

"  Listen !  Do  you  hear  the  shouting  ?  The  relief  party 
must  be  coming  in." 

"  Oh,  bother !  "  the  middy  said;  "  I  can't  be  there  to  see  it." 

"  Well,  I  can,"  Rex  said,  "  I  will  come  back  and  tell  you  all 
about  it;  but  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  hear  much  till  evening. 
You  will  be  off  duty  then,  won't  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  come  and  dine  at  our  place.  I  shall  get  hold 
of  two  or  three  of  the  men  I  went  up  with  if  I  can." 

He  went  off  at  a  run  and  soon  joined  a  number  of  resi 
dents  and  men  off  duty  who  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
force.  The  head  of  the  column  was  just  coming  in.  A  por 
tion  of  the  relief  force  led,  and  then  Admiral  Seymour's  men, 
many  of  them  carying  the  sick  and  wounded  on  stretchers, 
doors,  and  other  make-shifts.  The  rest  of  the  force  brought 
up  the  rear.  Seeing  Major  Johnston  coming  along  with  his 
marines,  Rex  pressed  forward  to  shake  hands  with  him. 

"  Ah,  you  got  through  then,  Bateman !  I  am  glad  to  see 
you;  I  have  wondered  many  times  whether  you  got  safely 
into  Pekin.  I  certainly  did  not  expect  to  see  you  here, 
though  I  thought  we  might  meet  when  we  marched  into 
Pekin." 

"  Yes,  I  got  in  all  right.  I  stopped  there  till  about  a  week 
ago,  and  then  came  back  here.  If  you  have  nothing  better  to 
do,  will  you  dine  with  us  this  evening,  and  bring  Trimmer 
and  Lawson  with  you  ?  " 

"With  pleasure.  We  shall  scarcely  have  time  to  make 
any  mess  arrangements  for  ourselves." 


CAPTURING   THE   TAKU   FORTS  261 

"  Have  you  had  heavy  fighting  ?  " 

"  We  have,  indeed,  and  we  have  lost  a  good  many  men.  I 
began  to  think  at  one  time  that  we  should  not  get  back,  and 
I  believe  if  we  had  not  taken  the  arsenal  very  few  of  us 
would  have  survived  to  tell  the  tale.  However,  I  will  tell 
you  about  that  this  evening." 

"  Thank  you !  I  will  run  home  at  once  and  tell  my  people 
that  you  are  coming." 

Rex  hurried  home  and  told  his  mother  that  four  officers 
were  coming  to  dinner. 

"  I  did  not  say  anything  about  sleeping  here,  Mother,  but 
if  you  can  manage  it  I  am  sure  it  would  be  a  blessing  to 
them,  for  they  have  only  just  got  in,  and  will  certainly  not  be 
able  to  make  other  arrangements." 

"  They  will  have  to  be  content  with  very  simple  fare," 
Mrs.  Bateman  said.  "  Of  course,  no  fresh  meat  can  be  had, 
so  we  shall  have  to  manage  on  tinned  meat  and  vegetables,  of 
which,  fortunately,  we  have  an  abundant  and  varied  supply." 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  they  will  not  be  particular, 
Mother,  for  I  expect  they  have  been  on  very  short  rations 
for  some  time.  You  give  us  a  capital  dinner  every  day,  and 
I  am  sure  you  can  turn  out  as  good  a  one  for  them." 

Mrs.  Bateman  smiled. 

"  Well,  I  dare  say  we  shall  manage  something  that  will  be 
good  enough  for  hungry  men." 

Rex  then  went  down  to  his  friend  the  middy. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  tell  you,  Robinson,"  he  said,  "  but 
Johnston  and  two  of  his  chums  are  going  to  dine  with  us,  so 
you  will  hear  it  all  then,  and  my  mother  says  she  can  give 
you  a  'bed  for  the  night." 

"  Thanks !  that  is  a  luxury  indeed,  Bateman,  only  it  will  be 
awful  getting  up  so  as  to  be  here  on  duty  again  at  six  in  the 
morning." 


262  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  no  one  wants  to  sleep  after  five  in  this 
weather.  I  am  generally  up  soon  after  four." 

"  Yes,  but  you  must  remember  that  I  have  had  no  sleep  to 
speak  of  for  the  past  three  days,  and  the  chances  are  that 
we  shan't  turn  in  until  midnight,  as  we  shall  have  to  hear 
all  about  the  expedition.  However,  I  will  put  in  as  much 
sleep  as  I  can  between  that  hour  and  five.  I  had  a  good  four 
hours  this  morning." 

At  half -past  seven  the  three  marines  and  the  middy  arrived 
at  Mr.  Bateman's.  Rex  had,  an  hour  before,  gone  to  Major 
Johnston,  and  told  him  that  it  had  been  arranged  that  he  and 
his  friends  were  to  sleep  in  the  house. 

"  That  will  be  a  great  comfort,  Bateman,"  he  said ;  "  we 
have  not  had  our  clothes  off  for  three  weeks,  and  it  will  be 
delicious  to  lie  down  between  sheets  and  to  have  a  bath  in  the 
morning.  I  warn  you,  though,  that  we  shall  want  a  bath 
before  dinner,  for  we  can't  sit  down  to  a  table  as  we  are." 

"  All  right,  Major !  if  you  come  round  in  half  an  hour  you 
will  find  one  ready  for  you." 

Accordingly,  on  their  arrival  they  were  shown  at  once  to 
their  rooms. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,  Bateman,"  the  major  said  as  they  came 
downstairs  again,  "  how  much  we  are  obliged  to  you.  A 
good  dinner  is  not  a  thing  to  be  despised,  but  a  bath  is  even 
a  greater  luxury.  I  am  sure  I  could  not  have  enjoyed  dinner 
unless  I  had  had  the  bath,  for  we  have  had  few  opportuni 
ties  for  washing  since  we  left  here." 

An  excellent  dinner  was  served,  and  was  greatly  enjoyed 
by  the  four  guests. 

"  I  can  assure  you,  Mr.  Bateman,"  the  major  said,  "  that 
while  eating  your  good  fare  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
the  past  three  weeks  have  not  been  a  very  uncomfortable 
dream." 


CAPTURING   THE   TAKU    FORTS  263 

"  How  have  you  been  getting  on,  Mr.  Robinson,  since  you 
came  here  ? "  Mr.  Bateman  asked. 

"  Nothing  to  grumble  at,  sir.  We  had  pretty  hard  work 
the  first  two  days,  but,  thanks  to  your  son,  we  now  have  a 
quiet  day  of  it." 

Rex  uttered  a  sharp  warning  ejaculation  as  Robinson 
spoke,  but  he  had  not  thought  of  telling  him  that  he  and  his 
companions  wished  nothing  to  be  said  about  the  adventure. 

"  Thanks  to  my  son !  "  Mr.  Bateman  repeated  in  surprise ; 
"  what  can  Rex  have  had  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

The  midshipman,  who  had  too  late  heard  Rex's  ejaculation, 
hesitated. 

"I  did  not  know  that  he  had  not  told  you,  sir,"  he  said, 
"  or  else  you  may  be  sure  I  should  have  said  nothing  about 
it." 

"  Well,  but  what  was  it  ? "  he  asked. 

The  midshipman  looked  appealingly  at  Rex,  and  the  latter 
said:  "Well,  Father,  it  was  a  little  enterprise  that  Watson 
and  Laurence  and  I  carried  out  on  our  own  account ;  nothing 
worth  talking  about." 

"  Well,  but  what  was  it,  Rex  ?  "  his  father  persisted.  "  Mr. 
Robinson  says  that  it  has  given  him  better  times." 

"  Well,  Father,  the  fact  is,  we  three  and  Ah  Lo  went  out 
and  silenced  those  two  guns  that  were  so  annoying  for  some 
lays." 

"Well,  but  how  did  you  do  it.  Rex?  Now  we  know  so 
much,  of  course  we  want  to  know  the  rest.  What  do  you 
know  about  it,  Mr.  Robinson  ? " 

"  Well,  sir,  all  I  really  know  about  it  is  that  your  son  came 
to  me  and  asked  me  to  allow  a  lantern  to  stand  on  the  barri 
cade.  Of  course  I  said  that  there  was  no  objection  to  that. 
Then  we  went  back  fifty  or  sixty  yards  and  placed  another 
lantern  on  a  window,  so  that  the  two  lanterns  together  were 


264  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

in  the  exact  line  with  those  guns.  At  midnight  Rex  and  his 
two  friends,  with  the  Chinaman,  went  out,  and  that  is  practi 
cally  all  I  know  about  the  matter.  I  certainly  had  no  idea 
that  Rex  had  kept  the  affair  a  secret.  It  is  certainly  a  thing 
of  which  he  had  a  right  to  feel  very  proud,  for  it  was  a 
plucky  business,  and  one  which  I  was  very  much  tempted  to 
take  part  in." 

"  Now  then,  Bateman,"  Major  Johnston  said,  "  you  see 
your  light  cannot  be  hid  under  a  bushel,  so  you  had  better 
make  a  clean  breast  of  the  affair." 

Rex  saw  that  it  was  of  no  use  making  any  further  mystery 
of  it,  so  he  briefly  explained  how  the  idea  had  come  into  his 
mind,  and  how  Watson  and  Laurence  had  agreed  to  join  him, 
the  steps  they  had  taken  for  placing  the  lantern  to  enable 
them  to  find  the  guns  in  the  dark,  how  Robinson  had  ex 
plained  the  working  of  the  various  parts  of  the  guns  to  them, 
and  how  they  had  carried  their  plan  into  successful  execu 
tion. 

"You  ought  not  have  done  it,"  his  father  said,  when  he 
had  finished. 

"  But,"  Major  Johnston  said,  "I  don't  think,  Mr.  Bateman, 
that  your  son  is  to  be  blamed.  It  was  a  splendidly  plucky 
action  for  which  everyone  in  the  settlement  should  thank  him, 
for  it  appears  that  these  guns  were  doing  an  immense  amount 
of  damage.  It  was  an  act  which  I  or  any  other  officer  in 
Her  Majesty's  service  would  have  been  proud  to  perform." 

"  I  admit  all  that,"  Mr.  Bateman  said,  "  but  Rex  is  always 
running  into  danger.  I  grant  that  so  far  he  has  got  through 
safely,  but  you  know  the  result  of  taking  a  pitcher  to  a  well 
too  often." 

"I  don't  think  he  is  likely  to  come  to  harm,"  the  major 
said,  "  for  it  is  not  as  if  he  undertook  these  things  without 
thoroughly  working  his  plans  out,  so  that  failure  is  almost  an 


CAPTURING   THE   TAKU   FORTS  265 

impossibility.  On  our  way  up  he  gave  me  a  brief  account  of 
how  he  had  got  his  cousins  out  of  that  rascally  governor's 
yamen.  I  could  not  get  the  full  details  out  of  him,  but 
judging  from  what  he  told  me  it  was  certainly  an  admirably- 
managed  affair.  I  think,  Mr.  Bateman,  that  you  have  a 
right  to  be  very  proud  of  him.  If  he  had  been  in  the  army 
he  would  certainly  have  earned  a  V.  C.  for  the  way  in  which 
he  silenced  those  guns." 

"  Yes,  I  admit  all  that,"  Mr.  Bateman  said,  "  and  won't 
scold,  but  all  this  keeps  his  mother  and  myself  in  a  state  of 
great  anxiety." 

"I  don't  think,  Father,"  Rex  said,  "that  in  an  affair  of 
this  sort  the  risk  is  anything  compared  with  that  which  one 
runs  in  a  regular  fight.  These  little  excursions  I  have  made 
have  had  very  little  risk  in  them — practically  none.  When 
you  come  to  think  of  it,  I  can  pass  anywhere  as  a  Chinaman, 
and  as  I  have  always  travelled  at  night  I  have  been  exposed 
to  practically  no  danger  whatever." 

"  And  so  you  had  sharp  fighting  here,  Mr.  Bateman  ? "  the 
major  said,  changing  the  subject. 

"  Not  actually  severe  fighting ;  that  is,  the  Chinese  have 
never  got  up  really  close  to  us,  although  they  have  made 
a  good  many  rushes,  but  the  bombardment  has  been  very 
heavy.  The  French  settlement  is  practically  destroyed,  and 
a  large  number  of  our  houses  will  have  to  be  rebuilt.  But 
worse  than  the  artillery  fire  has  been  the  sniping,  which  has 
been  continuous  all  round,  but  more  especially  011  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  where  it  has  been  absolutely  incessant,  and 
where  it  has  been  dangerous  in  the  extreme  to  show  one's 
nose  outside  one's  door.  We  have  done  our  best  to  keep  it 
down,  but  I  cannot  say  that  success  has  attended  our  efforts, 
for  the  Chinese  have  lain  hid  among  the  houses  and  ruins, 
and  never  show  themselves  except  to  fire." 


266  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  Have  the  casualties  been  heavy  ?  " 

"No;  very  slight  indeed,  which,"  he  added  with  a  smile, 
"  speaks  well  either  for  our  prudence  or  for  the  bad  marks 
manship  of  the  enemy.  We  have  brought  cannon  to  bear 
upon  them,  but  they  stick  there  with  great  tenacity,  and  I 
fancy  we  shall  find  it  very  hard  work  to  drive  them  out  from 
Tientsin.  There  is  the  fort,  and  the  yamen,  and  several 
other  strong  buildings;  the  wall,  too,  and  its  defences  are 
strong,  and  if  they  stick  there  as  stubbornly  as  they  have 
done  across  the  river,  the  city  will  certainly  not  be  taken 
without  considerable  loss  of  life." 

"  Do  you  know  when  we  are  going  to  begin,  Mr.  Bate- 
man?" 

"  I  believe  the  Russians  are  going  to  turn  out  to-morrow 
morning ;  they  have  only  been  waiting  for  your  return.  Now, 
I  fancy,  they  will  consider  that  we  have  strength  enough  for 
anything." 

"  I  should  think  we  have,"  the  major  said.  "  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  you  must  not  put  Seymour's  force  above  half  the 
strength  at  which  it  started.  There  has  been  a  lot  of  illness, 
we  have  suffered  much  from  hunger  and  privation,  we  lost 
a  good  many  men  in  the  attack  on  the  forts,  and  many  of 
those  still  in  the  ranks  will  not  be  fit  for  service  until  they 
have  had  a  few  days'  rest.  If  we  put  a  thousand  in  line  to 
morrow  it  would  be  as  much  as  could  be  fairly  calculated 
upon.  Still,  many  of  those  who  would  not  be  fit  to  take  part 
in  the  attack  would  be  useful  for  the  defence  of  the  town  if 
the  Chinese  should  make  a  counter  attack  while  the  best  part 
of  the  force  is  away." 

"  Now,  Major,  we  are  all  burning  with  curiosity  to  know 
what  has  happened  to  you  while  you  have  been  away.  We 
have  heard  a  score  of  rumours,  but  not  one  authentic  fact. 
We  heard  that  you  had  entered  Pekin,  that  you  had  been 


CAPTURING   THE    TAKU   FORTS  267 

massacred,  that  you  had  disappeared  as  effectually  off  the 
face  of  the  earth  as  if  it  had  opened  and  swallowed  you  up. 
The  very  first  news  we  got  of  your  existence  was  from  my 
son,  who  reported  that  on  his  way  down  from  Pekin  he 
heard  heavy  and  continuous  firing  in  the  arsenal  of  Hsi-Ku, 
and  he  concluded  that  your  force  must  be  engaged.  Some 
thought  that  you  must  be  attacking  the  place,  others  that  you 
had  taken  it  and  were  now  besieged.  The  latter  certainly 
seemed  the  most  reasonable,  unless  indeed,  it  was  fight 
between  the  Boxers  and  the  regular  Chinese  troops;  for  if 
you  had  not  got  possession  of  the  arsenal,  it  was  impossible 
to  imagine  how  you  had  obtained  sufficient  provisions  to  keep 
you  alive  so  long." 

"  Yes,  that  supposition  was  the  correct  one,  and  we  were 
quite  on  our  last  legs  before  we  took  the  place." 

"Well,  will  you  please  tell  us  the  whole  story;  it  is  not 
nine  o'clock  yet,  so  that,  unless  you  are  so  dead  tired  that 
you  cannot  go  through  with  it,  you  will  get  it  done  in  reason 
able  time." 

"  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  do  so,"  the  major  said.  "  If  you 
had  asked  me  this  afternoon  when  we  came  in,  I  should  have 
said  frankly  that  I  did  not  feel  equal  to  it;  but  the  bath  and 
the  excellent  dinner  you  have  given  us,  have  quite  set  me  on 
my  legs  again. 

"  You  will  already  have  heard  from  your  son  what  hap 
pened  on  our  way  up  from  Lang  Fang,  and  of  the  little  fight 
we  had  on  the  14th  of  June.  Well,  the  next  day  the  outposts 
ran  in  and  reported  that  the  Boxers  were  at  hand  in  great 
numbers.  The  enemy  arrived  close  on  their  heels  and  made  a 
determined  rush  at  the  fore  part  of  the  leading  train,  which 
was  drawn  up  beside  a  well,  where  the  men  were  engaged  in 
watering.  They  were  met  by  a  withering  fire,  but  pushed  on 
with  extreme  bravery  and  did  not  fall  back  until  some  of 


268  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

them  actually  reached  the  train.  Then  they  could  do  no 
more,  and  retreated,  leaving  about  a  hundred  dead.  This 
certainly  gave  us  a  better  idea  of  their  courage,  and  the 
difficulties  we  should  be  likely  to  encounter,  than  anything 
that  had  yet  happened. 

"  At  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon  a  messenger  arrived  on 
a  trolley  from  the  rear,  to  say  that  Lofa  station  was  attacked 
by  a  very  strong  force  of  the  enemy.  Number  two  train  had 
steam  up,  and  the  admiral  at  once  took  a  strong  force  down 
in  it.  On  their  arrival  at  the  station  they  found  that  the 
fight  was  over,  and  the  enemy  having  fallen  back  discom 
fited,  the  reinforcements  started  in  pursuit,  and  harried  their 
retreat  for  some  distance,  accounting  for  about  a  hundred  of 
them  and  capturing  a  few  small  cannon. 

"  The  next  day  we  remained  at  Lang  Fang,  a  strong  body 
being  employed  in  repairing  the  line.  Under  the  protection 
of  a  guard  a  train  went  back  to  Lofa,  and  on  its  return  we 
learned  that  the  repairs  we  had  affected  on  the  line  beyond 
that  place  had  been  a  good  deal  broken  up.  Later,  the  officer 
of  the  guard  at  Lofa  came  in,  and  reported  that  three  large 
bodies  of  Boxers  were  moving  about  in  the  distance,  and  that 
he  expected  an  attack  would  be  made  on  the  station.  How 
ever,  they  moved  off  quietly.  They  were  probably  on  their 
way  to  destroy  the  line,  for  a  train  that  left  at  four  the  next 
morning  for  Tientsin  came  back  in  the  afternoon,  with  the 
news  that  the  line  was  so  completely  broken  up  round  Lofa 
that  it  could  not  be  repaired  with  the  materials  and  men  on 
board. 

"  The  admiral  left  an  hour  later  to  see  for  himself  the  state 
of  the  line.  He  pushed  on  for  some  distance,  his  men  repair 
ing  the  line  as  they  went,  till  he  reached  Yangstun,  but  only 
to  find  that  beyond  that  point  the  line  was  entirely  destroyed. 
It  was  now  evident  to  the  admiral,  and  to  all  of  us,  that  if  we 


CAPTURING    THE    TAKU   FORTS  269 

continued  to  stop  at  Lang  Fang  we  should  ere  long  have  to 
stop  there  permanently,  for  our  provisions  were  almost 
entirely  exhausted.  The  admiral  had  seen  this  some  days 
before,  and  had  sent  off  several  messengers  to  Tientsin  to 
ask  that  junks  should  be  sent  up  the  river,  and  ammunition 
and  provisions  forwarded  by  train  to  Yangtsun,  his  intention 
being  to  establish  a  base  there.  But  we  never  heard  any  more 
of  these  messengers,  and  the  fact  stared  us  in  the  face  that 
we  were  absolutely  cut  off  from  Tientsin. 


CHAPTEK  XIV 

SURROUNDED 

ON  the  seventeenth  messages  were  sent  to  Lofa  and  Lang 
Fang  to  recall  the  three  trains  there,  but  it  was  evident 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  utilize  them  for  our  retreat,  as 
they  might  be  suddenly  cut  off  by  the  Boxers.  One  came  in 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and  the  others  arrived  in 
the  evening.  They  had  had  some  very  sharp  fighting.  The 
German  naval  officer,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  two  trains, 
reported  that  he  had  been  attacked  early  that  afternoon  by 
a  force  of  fully  five  thousand  men,  including  cavalry,  a  great 
proportion  of  whom  were  armed  with  magazine  rifles  of  the 
latest  pattern.  The  attack  was  made  both  in  front  and  on  the 
flanks.  The  troops  marched  out  against  them,  and  although 
exposed  to  a  heavy  fire,  forced  them  to  retreat.  Nevertheless, 
when  our  men  retired  towards  the  train,  the  enemy  rallied 
and  advanced  again  with  the  evident  determination  to  gain 
their  object;  but  being  beaten  off  with  more  loss  than  before, 
they  finally  retreated.  Their  loss  was  over  four  hundred 
killed,  while  we  had  six  killed  and  forty-eight  wounded.  In 
the  course  of  the  fight  a  banner  was  captured  which  belonged 
to  the  army  of  Tung-Fu-Hsiang.  This  was  the  first  indica 
tion  we  had  that  the  Imperial  Chinese  troops  had  taken  the 
field  against  us. 

"A  conference  of  the  commanding  officers  of  the  various 
nationalities  was  held  the  next  day,  and  it  was  decided  that, 

270 


SURROUNDED  271 

as  the  railway  was  completely  destroyed  on  both  sides  of 
them,  and  they  could  not  use  it  either  for  advance  or  re 
treat,  it  would  be  better  to  endeavour  to  withdraw  to  Tien 
tsin.  Preparations  were  at  once  made.  The  wounded  and 
the  few  remaining  stores  were  carried  down  and  placed  on 
board  some  junks  that  had  been  captured  on  the  previous 
day,  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  start  was  made. 
Progress,  however,  was  not  destined  to  be  rapid,  for  the  junks 
had  not  gone  far  before  they  grounded  in  a  shallow  reach  of 
the  river.  Three  of  them  were  got  off  pretty  easily;  but  a 
six-pounder  quick-firing  gun  of  the  Centurion  had  to  be 
thrown  overboard  to  lighten  the  fourth  before  she  would 
float.  In  consequence  of  this  delay,  we  had  only  made  two 
and  a  half  miles  when  night  fell.  We  started  early  the  next 
morning  and  were  fighting  all  day,  but  progress  was  very 
much  retarded  by  the  necessity  for  keeping  abreast  of  the 
junks.  The  management  of  these  lubberly  craft  was  beyond 
the  European  sailors,  and  o«  no  Chinaman  could  be  got  to 
navigate  them  they  were  continually  running  across  the 
river  and  getting  stuck,  so  that  from  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  till  six  in  the  evening  the  force  only  advanced  eight 
miles. 

"  The  fighting  began  at  a  quarter-past  nine.  The  Chinese 
occupied  a  village  near  the  bank,  and  when  they  were  driven 
out  they  fell  back  to  the  next  village.  Here  they  were  re 
inforced,  and  village  after  village  had  to  be  carried  either  by 
rifle  fire,  or,  in  some  cases,  where  the  resistance  was  too  ob 
stinate,  by  a  bayonet  charge.  The  Chinese  stood  splendidly 
against  our  rifle  fire,  but  they  could  not  bring  themselves 
to  face  the  bayonet;  the  cheers  of  our  men  seemed  to  take 
all  the  spirit  out  of  them.  In  the  afternoon  the  Chinese 
opened  fire  with  a  one-pounder  quick-firing  gun.  It  did  not 
do  any  great  damage,  but  it  harassed  the  troops  in  their  ad- 


272  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

vance,  especially  when  they  had  to  cross  open  ground.  The 
enemy  were  using  smokeless  powder,  and  consequently,  as 
the  gun  was  frequently  shifted,  we  found  it  impossible  to 
locate  its  position  and  so  to  keep  down  its  fire  with  musketry. 

"  It  was  a  very  trying  day.  The  heat  was  great,  the  water 
in  the  water-bottles  was  soon  exhausted,  and  the  men  were 
too  busily  engaged  to  go  down  to  the  river  to  refill  them.  The 
next  day  was  even  worse.  A  start  was  made  at  half-past 
seven,  and  we  had  not  gone  far  when  we  saw  some  two  hun 
dred  cavalry  on  the  left  flank  of  the  advance  guard.  All 
hoped  at  first  that  this  was  a  detachment  of  Cossacks  who 
had  come  to  our  aid,  but  this  hope  was  doomed  to  disappoint 
ment,  for  as  they  drew  nearer  their  dress  showed  that  they 
were  Chinese  troops.  For  the  rest  of  the  day  they  hovered 
about  on  our  left  flank,  firing  when  they  saw  an  opportunity; 
but  a  few  well-directed  shrapnel-shell  from  the  nine-pounder 
sufficed  to  keep  them  at  a  distance.  As  soon  as  they  had 
retired,  after  reconnoitring  our  position,  they  opened  fire 
with  a  field-gun  and  a  one-pounder  quick-firing  gun.  We 
replied  with  our  nine-pounder  and  machine-guns,  and  as  the 
enemy  were  using  ordinary  powder,  the  smoke  of  which 
showed  their  position,  they  were  soon  obliged  to  shift.  They 
were  quiet  for  a  time,  but  they  began  again  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  always,  however,  with  the  same  result.  Fighting 
went  on  continuously,  as  village  after  village,  and  the  town 
of  Peitsang,  which  is  the  chief  place  between  Yangtsun  and 
Tientsin,  had  to  be  carried. 

"  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  halted,  having  arrived 
opposite  a  very  strong  position  held  by  the  enemy,  from  which 
we  were  unable  to  dislodge  them.  The  commanding  officers 
held  a  council  of  war,  and  decided  that,  after  we  had  had 
some  refreshment  and  a  few  hours'  rest,  we  should  make  a 
night  march  as  the  best  chance  of  getting  through.  We  had 


SURROUNDED  273 

made  only  six  miles  during  the  day,  owing  to  the  stubborn 
resistance  of  the  enemy  and  their  increased  gun  power. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  evening  the  field  and  machine-guns 
were  placed  on  board  a  junk  that  had  been  taken  on  the 
previous  day,  and  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  march  re 
commenced.  Fires  were  soon  seen  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  river  bank,  and  it  was  obvious  that  the  enemy  were  by 
this  means  signalling  our  approach.  A  heavy  fire  opened  on 
the  force  from  a  village  some  hundred  yards  ahead,  and  a 
shell  from  a  field-piece  struck  the  junk  that  was  carrying  the 
guns,  and  she  filled  and  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  guns  un 
fortunately,  could  not  be  got  off,  but  the  Maxims  were 
saved.  The  village  was  carried  by  the  marines  with  fixed 
bayonets. 

"  At  four  o'clock  we  arrived  opposite  a  great  building, 
which  turned  out  to  be  the  Imperial  arsenal  of  Hsi  Ku.  Two 
unarmed  soldiers  came  out  from  a  house  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  bank  with  the  evident  intention  of  communicating 
with  us.  Our  advance  halted,  and  the  men,  when  they  came 
up,  made  some  simple  enquiries  as  to  who  we  were  and  where 
we  were  going.  Having  got  what  information  they  wanted 
they  sauntered  back  to  the  houses,  from  which,  as  soon  as 
they  reached  them  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  with  rifles  and 
guns.  Fortunately  there  was  good  cover  close  at  hand. 
Some  of  our  fellows  occupied  a  neighbouring  village,  and 
others  took  shelter  behind  the  river  embankment. 

"  It  was  then  decided  to  take  the  arsenal.  The  resistance 
was  becoming  more  severe  with  every  yard  the  force  ad 
vanced,  the  provisions  were  almost  exhausted,  and  the  troops, 
who  had  been  for  some  time  on  half-rations,  were  exhausted 
with  the  heat  and  their  continual  exertions.  The  attack  was 
begun  with  a  heavy  rifle  fire  against  a  Hotchkiss  gun  in  the 
north  corner  of  the  arsenal  and  two  guns  on  the  river  front, 


274  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

which  were  soon  silenced.  A  body  of  marines  and  seamen 
was  then  directed  to  cross  the  river  higher  up,  and,  if  possible, 
to  rush  the  enemy's  position  at  the  north  corner.  Fortu 
nately  there  was  a  village  only  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
from  this  point,  and  the  sailors,  having  crawled  up  there 
unobserved,  dashed  out  of  cover  at  the  double  with  a  cheer, 
in  which  the  troops  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  joined,  and 
the  Chinese  at  the  corner  they  were  making  for  bolted  at 
once.  Lower  down  the  river  a  German  detachment  had 
crossed  and  captured  the  guns  in  their  front,  and  subse 
quently  several  others.  Between  them  the  two  bodies  cleared 
out  the  armoury. 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  Chinese  made  a  most  determined 
attempt  to  retake  the  arsenal,  advancing  boldly  under  a  very 
heavy  shell  fire.  As,  however,  we  had  the  captured  guns, 
we  drove  the  enemy  back  with  heavy  losses,  but  not  before 
we  had  suffered  considerably  ourselves.  The  main  body  of 
the  troops  and  the  wounded  were  in  the  meantime  crossing, 
and  late  in  the  afternoon  the  whole  force  was  safe  in  the 
arsenal. 

"  Things  looked  better  now  than  they  had  done  since  we 
had  left  Tientsin.  Of  course  we  had  no  knowledge  at  all  of 
what  was  going  on  there,  and  thought  that  we  should  only 
have  to  maintain  ourselves  till  a  force  was  sent  out  to  our 
assistance. 

"  Several  messengers  had  been  sent  on  during  the  march, 
and  during  the  night  three  officers  with  a  hundred  marines 
set  out  to  try  to  make  their  way  down  to  Tientsin.  They 
had  scarcely  started,  however,  when  they  encountered  a  deter 
mined  resistance.  Bugles  sounded  in  all  directions,  and  find 
ing  that  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  was  upon  them,  and 
having  lost  four  of  their  number,  they  had  no  option  but  to 
fall  back.  At  daylight  the  Chinese  made  another  desperate 


SURROUNDED  275 

attempt  to  retake  the  armoury,  and  maintained  this  until 
eight  o'clock,  when  they  were  beaten  off. 

"  We  had  now  time  to  make  a  thorough  investigation  of 
the  contents  of  the  various  buildings,  and  to  our  delight  we 
found  a  store  of  some  fifteen  tons  of  rice.  This  placed  us 
for  some  time  beyond  the  risk  of  starvation.  We  discovered, 
too,  an  immense  supply  of  guns,  arms,  and  ammunition,  and 
war  material  of  the  latest  pattern,  so  that  we  felt  capable  of 
holding  out  for  a  long  time.  At  a  council  of  war  it  was  con 
sidered  to  be  impossible  to  force  a  way  down,  for  we  had  now 
no  fewer  than  two  hundred  and  thirty  wounded  to  carry. 
Our  first  move  was  to  mount  a  number  of  guns  on  the  various 
fronts  of  the  arsenal,  and  with  these  we  opened  fire  upon  a 
Boxer  stronghold  situated  near  the  arsenal  and  the  Chinese 
fort  lower  down  the  river.  The  effect  was  excellent;  the 
Chinese  retired,  and  made  no  fresh  attempt  to  retake  the 
place. 

"  On  the  twenty-fifth  European  troops  were  reported  in 
sight,  and  at  seven  o'clock  the  relief  column  under  Colonel 
Shirinsky  arrived  at  the  fort.  Preparations  were  at  once 
made  for  the  evacuation  of  the  armoury  and  for  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  arsenal.  The  wounded  were  transported  across 
the  river  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  whole  force  followed  later. 
At  three  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  we  started,  two 
officers  remaining  behind  to  set  fire  to  the  ammunition  and 
store-houses.  Fires  were  lit  in  five  separate  places,  and  from 
the  volumes  of  smoke  that  rose  from  the  building,  and  the 
explosions  which  we  heard  from  that  direction,  the  destruc 
tion  seemed  fairly  complete.  The  officers  crossed  the  river 
after  lighting  the  fires,  mounted  ponies  that  were  waiting 
for  them,  and  then  rejoined  the  main  body,  which  met  with 
no  further  resistance. 

"  The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  flat,  and  along 


276  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

the  river  banks  villages  of  mud-huts,  generally  surrounded 
with  enclosures  of  dried  reeds,  were  scattered  at  frequent 
intervals.  Near  the  villages  high  reeds  grew  plentifully  in 
patches,  and  trees  were  numerous.  These,  with  the  entrench 
ments  for  irrigation  and  against  flood,  and  the  graves  every 
where  scattered  about,  afforded  excellent  cover  to  the  enemy; 
they  seldom  exposed  themselves,  always  withdrawing  as  we 
advanced.  Their  fire  was  generally  very  high;  had  it  been 
otherwise  we  should  have  suffered  very  severely.  Altogether, 
I  think  that,  although  we  failed  in  our  object,  the  affair  has 
been  very  creditable,  and,  considering  the  difficulties  to 
which  we  were  exposed,  none  of  those  who  took  part  in  it 
have  any  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  what  they  have  done.  At 
the  beginning  our  opponents  were  largely  armed  only  with 
swords  and  spears,  but  in  the  latter  part  we  had  to  encounter 
trained  troops  excellently  armed  and  provided  with  guns,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  all  these  belonged  to  the  regular 
army." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Major  Johnston,  for  your  interest 
ing  account !  "  Mr.  Bateman  said.  "  We  have  been  fighting 
nearly  as  hard  here  for  the  past  ten  days,  and  I  hope  now 
that  in  a  short  time  we  shall  begin  to  turn  the  tables  upon 
them.  I  expect  you  will  have  hard  work  before  you  to  take 
Tientsin,  for  there  you  will  probably  be  opposed  by  all  the 
troops  with  whom  you  have  hitherto  been  engaged.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  they  have  followed  you  down  to-day,  anticipating 
that  we  shall  now  take  the  offensive." 

"Yes,  I  expect  we  shall  have  some  stiff  fighting,"  Major 
Johnston  said,  "  but  you  may  be  sure  that  we  sha'n't  shirk  it. 
Well,  I  think  now,  with  your  permission,  that  we  will  turn 
in.  We  had  no  sleep  to  speak  of  last  night,  and  may  be 
wanted  again  early  in  the  morning." 

The  three  officers  were  up  early  and  went  down  to  see  after 


SUKKOUNDED  277 

the  marines,  and  Rex  went  out  with  them  to  hear  what  was 
going  to  be  done.  The  town  presented  a  very  different  ap 
pearance  from  that  which  it  had  shown  for  the  past  ten  days. 
The  streets  were  no  longer  deserted,  but  swarmed  every 
where  with  troops;  bugles  were  blowing,  and  all  was  life  and 
bustle.  The  houses  that  had  been  closed  were  open  again, 
and  men  congratulated  each  other  that  the  strain  was  over. 
Rex  went  down  to  the  shed  which  was  the  head-quarters  of 
the  volunteers.  Here  some  twenty  or  thirty  had  already  as 
sembled.  Rex  was,  of  course,  in  the  simple  uniform  of  the 
corps,  and  had  brought  his  rifle  with  him. 

"  What  is  going  to  be  done  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  don't  know  yet,"  said  one  of  his  friends.  "  The 
Russians  are  certainly  going  to  march  out,  and  I  suppose  a 
mixed  column  will  also  go,  in  which  case  we  shall  accompany 
it.  I  expect  we  shall  get  orders  before  long." 

Tientsin  is  one  of  the  most  important  towns  in  China. 
Standing  as  it  does  at  the  junction  of  the  Peiho,  the 
Grand  Canal,  the  Lupi  Canal,  and  five  smaller  streams 
and  canals,  it  is  not  only  the  port  of  Pekin,  but  prac 
tically  the  sole  outlet  of  the  trade  of  the  whole  of  the  north 
western  provinces  of  China.  Its  population  amounts  to 
nearly  a  million,  and  its  trade  is  considerably  better  than 
that  of  Canton,  and  is  exceeded  only  by  that  of  Shanghai. 
The  native  city  is  enclosed  in  sombre  walls,  and  lies  some 
two  miles  farther  up  the  river  than  the  foreign  settlements. 
The  imports  of  Tientsin  include  not  only  European  manu 
factures,  but  also  sugar,  salt,  and  the  tribute  rice  of  the 
southern  provinces.  From  the  interior  there  is  a  vast  export 
trade  in  the  wood  and  furs  of  Manchuria  and  Mongolia,  the 
teas  of  Hang-Chow,  and  the  ground-nuts  and  bristles  of 
Chih-li. 

The  foreign  trade  was  growing  rapidly,  and  would  have 


278  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

increased  still  more  but  for  the  want  of  water  in  the  Peiho. 
This  river  is  about  the  size  of  the  Thames  at  Richmond,  but 
it  used  to  be  deep,  with  rapid  currents,  and  large  ocean 
going  steamers  were  able  to  come  up  to  the  settlements  to 
unload.  The  extensive  canal  and  irrigation  works,  however, 
have  of  late  years  greatly  diminished  the  flow  of  water,  so 
that  now  vessels  of  any  considerable  draught  have  to  remain 
outside  the  bar,  thirteen  miles  out  at  sea,  and  even  small 
vessels  can  only  come  as  far  as  Tonku,  three  miles  up  the 
river  mouth. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the  allied  generals  had 
decided  upon  the  bombardment  of  the  city,  earnest  protesta 
tions  were  made  by  the  leading  merchants  of  all  nationalities, 
but  the  military  necessities  overruled  their  wishes.  Until  the 
town  was  captured  the  settlements  would  be  practically  be 
leaguered,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  make  an  advance  to 
Pekin  and  leave  the  large  Chinese  force  in  the  city  behind. 
Moreover,  if  the  advance  did  not  take  place,  not  only  would 
the  Legations  at  Pekin  inevitably  fall,  but  the  life  of  every 
European  in  China  would  be  in  jeopardy.  Consequently 
the  allied  generals  arrived  unanimously  at  the  conclusion  that 
the  bombardment  and  assault  of  Tientsin  was  an  absolute 
and  vital  necessity.  Already  there  had  been  an  enormous 
loss  of  life  there.  Thousands,  if  not  tens  of  thousands,  of  the 
Chinese  suspected  of  being  favourable  to  the  allies  had  been 
sacrificed,  and  in  the  perpetration  of  these  outrages  whole 
streets  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  therefore  necessary, 
if  for  no  other  reason,  to  inflict  a  terrible  lesson  upon  the 
Chinese  troops  who  occupied  the  city. 

The  Chinese  were  convinced  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  the  Europeans  to  capture  their  city,  held  as  it  was  by  a 
greatly  superior  force  of  regular  Chinese  troops,  and  pro 
tected  by  a  very  large  number  of  guns. 


SURROUNDED  279 

The  bombardment  was  to  be  greatly  deplored,  for  the  enor 
mous  injury  inflicted  upon  Tientsin  could  not  but  cripple 
the  trade  there  for  many  years,  and  probably  divert  it  to 
other  channels.  Still,  the  necessity  could  not  be  denied, 
grievous  though  its  effects  might  be. 

The  Russians  had  already  started  from  their  camp,  which 
was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  in  the  foreign  settle 
ments,  and  marched  against  the  Peiyang  arsenal,  which  is  on. 
the  same  side,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  up.  It  was  defended 
by  several  thousand  Chinese,  with  six  nine-pounder  Krupps. 
The  attack  had  to  be  made  across  an  open  plain,  and  this  was 
swept  by  an  incessant  rifle  fire,  while  the  Chinese  artillery 
made  excellent  practice.  The  casualties  mounted  up  quickly, 
and  before  long  a  halt  was  called,  and  messengers  were  sent 
to  Tientsin  to  ask  for  reinforcements. 

When  the  messengers  arrived,  the  bugle  sounded  and  the 
troops  hastily  assembled.  The  whole  of  the  Naval  Brigade, 
under  Captain  Bourke  of  the  Orlando,  was  called  out,  includ 
ing  a  battalion  of  marines  under  Major  Johnston,  and  with 
them  went  a  twelve-pounder  gun  from  the  Terrible.  The 
American  Marine  Artillery  also  went  out,  together  with  a 
detachment  of  Tientsin  volunteers.  When  they  got  to  the 
scene  of  action,  they  found  the  Russians  shelling  the  arsenal 
under  cover  of  the  railway  embankment. 

No  movement  was  made  till  eleven  o'clock,  when  a  Russian 
shell  exploded  in  the  principal  Chinese  magazine,  which  con 
tained  no  less  than  eighty  tons  of  powder.  The  explosion 
was  terrific,  and  for  some  minutes  a  great  cloud  of  smoke 
hung  over  the  arsenal.  The  shock  was  so  severe  that  soldiers 
who  were  standing  up  at  the  time  were  thrown  off  their  feet 
by  it,  and  the  sound  was  heard  distinctly  at  Taku,  thirty 
miles  away.  The  British  had  increased  their  fire,  and  shortly 
afterwards  a  Terrible  twelve-pounder  put  a  shell  into  the 


280  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

smaller  magazine,  which  also  blew  up.  Each  explosion  was 
hailed  by  the  troops  with  tremendous  cheers,  which  a  few 
minutes  later  were  redoubled  when  the  Chinese  were  seen 
leaving  the  fort.  The  British  and  Americans,  who  were 
nearer  than  the  Russians,  at  once  advanced  at  the  double. 
Some  Chinese,  composed  of  sterner  stuff  than  their  comrades, 
still  kept  up  their  fire,  causing  some  casualties,  but  they 
also  retreated  in  good  time  to  secure  their  own  safety. 

When  the  storming  party  was  close  to  the  arsenal,  what 
seemed  to  be  a  tremendous  musketry  fire  broke  out  from  the 
building,  and,  supposing  that  there  was  still  a  very  large 
force  there,  the  troops  halted.  Presently,  however,  the  fire 
ceased  altogether,  and  they  again  advanced.  When  they 
entered  the  place  they  discovered  that  the  fire  that  had 
checked  them  was  not  musketry,  but  long  strings  of  crackers 
which  the  Chinese  had  prepared  to  check  any  storming  party, 
and  thus  secure  their  own  retreat.  Angry  as  the  troops  were 
at  being  deceived,  they  laughed  heartily  at  the  trick  that  had 
been  played  upon  them. 

After  the  arsenal  was  occupied,  a  large  mixed  force  of 
Chinese  regulars  and  Boxers  came  out  from  Tientsin  city,  at 
the  back  of  the  railway-station,  and  placed  themselves  be 
tween  the  arsenal  and  the  river,  on  the  very  ground  the  Brit 
ish  and  Americans  had  occupied,  and  their  first  act  was  to 
massacre  all  the  wounded  who  had  been  left  there.  One  poor 
fellow  alone  was  saved,  for  although  he  had  been  very  seri 
ously  wounded  in  both  legs  he  managed  to  run,  and  the 
British-Chinese  regiment  coming  up  at  the  moment,  he  was 
able  to  reach  the  arsenal  in  safety. 

The  murder  of  the  wounded  exasperated  the  troops  to  the 
last  degree,  and  palliated,  if  it  did  not  excuse,  the  general 
refusal  of  quarter  to  the  Chinese  during  the  campaign.  In 
Tientsin  a  document  was  found  showing  that  rewards  had 


SURROUNDED  281 

been  paid  to  several  Chinese  who  had  brought  in  the  heads 
of  British  and  American  soldiers. 

The  capture  of  the  arsenal  enabled  all  the  women  and 
children  to  be  sent  away  within  the  next  few  days,  which  was 
a  fortunate  occurrence,  for  large  reinforcements  of  Chinese 
troops  entered  the  city  the  day  after,  and  the  settlements 
were  again  exposed  to  a  vigorous  fire. 

Reinforcements  were  coming  up,  but  even  yet  the  force  was 
not  considered  sufficiently  strong  to  attack  Tientsin.  The 
destruction  caused  by  the  Chinese  fire  was  very  great;  num 
bers  of  houses  were  burnt,  many  containing  stores  of  great 
value.  In  one  of  these  alone,  twenty  thousand  pounds  worth 
of  furs  and  other  Chinese  produce  was  consumed. 

Rex  was  maddened  by  the  delay  which  occurred  after  the 
arsenal  had  been  taken.  It  was  a  fixed  idea  among  the  mili 
tary  men  that  Pekin  had  fallen,  and  its  occupants  had  been 
massacred.  Many  rumours  to  this  effect  had  indeed  been 
received,  and  Rex  found  his  assertions  that  the  Legations 
were  well  able  to  hold  out  received  with  absolute  incredulity. 
He  repeatedly  urged  his  opinion  on  Major  Johnston,  but 
that  officer  said  that  all  the  officers  in  command  were  so 
firmly  convinced  that  it  was  quite  useless  for  him  to  bring 
the  matter  before  them. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  it  is  now  a  fortnight  since  you  left 
the  place,  and  it  may  very  well  have  fallen  by  this  time. 
You  yourself  reported  the  state  of  things  011  your  arrival, 
but  so  much  has  occurred  since  then,  and  the  Chinese  have 
fought  so  pluckily,  that  one  cannot  imagine  it  possible  that 
the  mere  handful  of  men  in  the  Legations  can  have  resisted 
any  determined  attack.  At  the  time  you  left,  the  news  of 
the  fighting  here  could  not  have  arrived,  but  I  fear  that  when 
the  fierce  fighting  here  became  known,  the  anger  of  the 
Chinese  would  be  raised  to  such  a  point  that  they  would 


282  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

make  a  general  and  furious  attack  on  the  Legations,  in 
which  case  you  acknowledge  yourself  that  they  must  have 
fallen.  Besides,  however  anxious  everyone  may  be  for  our 
advance,  nothing  can  be  done  until  Tientsin  is  taken." 

Kex  could  not  but  acknowledge  the  justice  of  this  reason 
ing.  He  was  strongly  tempted  to  make  another  journey  to 
Pekin,  but  so  many  of  Admiral  Seymour's  messengers  had 
failed  that  he  felt  that  he  could  not  ask  his  father's  permis 
sion  to  undertake  it.  He  spent  his  days,  whether  on  or  off 
duty,  at  the  Barricades,  keeping  up  a  vengeful  fire  on  the 
Chinese.  His  love  of  fun  had  entirely  left  him,  and  his  face 
was  as  stern  as  that  of  the  oldest  soldier. 

"  It  is  horrible,  Father,"  he  said,  "  to  think  that  the  girls 
and  all  others  in  the  Legation  may  be  massacred  before  we 
get  there.  I  won't  believe  that  it  has  been  captured  yet,  in 
spite  of  the  numerous  reports  that  reach  us;  but  if  we  keep 
on  delaying  as  we  are  doing  now,  the  Legations  may  very 
well  have  fallen  before  we  get  there.  I  bitterly  regret  that 
I  came  down,  for  I  might,  had  I  remained  at  Pekin,  have 
succeeded  somehow  in  saving  the  girls." 

"  I  don't  think  you  could  have  done  so,  and  you  would 
only  have  thrown  away  your  own  life.  You  must  remember 
that,  dear  as  the  girls  are  to  us,  you  are  naturally  far  dearer. 
It  is  a  very  serious  business  attacking  Tientsin,  and  a  repulse 
would  be  telegraphed  all  over  China  and  turn  all  the 
waverers  against  us.  It  would  be  an  awful  affair,  and  eagerly 
as  I  long  for  a  relieving  force  to  set  out,  I  feel  that  it  cannot 
be  attempted  until  we  have  a  force  sufficient  to  ensure  the 
capture  of  Tientsin,  and  to  be  able  to  fight  its  way  up  against 
the  opposition  which  it  will  certainly  meet  with." 

"  Possibly  that  opposition  will  not  be  serious,  Father,  when 
we  have  once  turned  them  out  of  Tientsin." 

"  That  is  possible,  Rex ;  but  I  fear  that  even  then  there 


SURROUNDED  283 

will  be  delays.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  this  force  is  not  under 
one  head,  and  composed  of  men  of  one  nation.  As  it  is,  every 
step  to  be  taken  has  to  be  discussed  and  decided  upon  by  the 
officers  in  command  of  the  various  nationalities.  There  are, 
it  is  well  known,  all  sorts  of  bickerings  and  jealousies  be 
tween  them.  The  Russians  want  to  have  everything  their 
own  way,  and  the  general  opinion  is  that  they  are  fighting 
only  for  their  own  advantage,  and  that  they  are  bent  upon 
the  destruction  of  Tientsin  and  the  practical  annihilation 
of  the  trade  of  the  place,  in  order  to  divert  the  whole  of  the 
trade  of  the  north-west  to  Port  Arthur. 

"  The  Japanese  interest  lies  exactly  the  other  way.  Here 
Japan  is  acquiring  a  good  share  of  the  trade,  but  if  it  were 
turned  to  the  Manchurian  port  she  would  lose  it  altogether. 
Naturally,  therefore,  as  her  force  here  is  about  as  strong  as 
that  of  Russia,  her  generals  are  not  disposed  to  let  the  latter 
entirely  have  their  own  way.  As  for  ourselves,  our  interests 
are  as  large  as  all  the  others  put  together,  and  we  have  had 
more  than  our  share  of  fighting,  but  unfortunately  we  have 
no  officer  of  sufficient  rank  and  command  to  hold  the  Rus 
sians  in  check. 

"  However,  at  present  no  preparations  whatever  have  been 
made  for  an  advance  upon  Pekin.  Nothing  is  thought  or 
talked  of  but  Tientsin,  and  yet,  after  the  city  is  taken,  there 
will  be  a  great  deal  to  arrange  before  we  can  move  forward. 
It  is  certain  that  the  advancing  force  must  move  by  the 
river;  in  no  other  way  could  the  army  be  provisioned,  for 
the  railway  is  wrecked  from  end  to  end,  and  I  should  say 
that,  even  with  hard  work  and  without  opposition,  it  would 
take  at  least  a  month  to  restore  it  to  order.  Well,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  collect  a  great  number  of  junks — river  junks, 
for  the  sea-going  craft  would  draw  far  too  much  water. 
Then  a  great  quantity  of  stores  must  be  got  together.  It 


284  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

seems  to  me  that  while  the  troops  are  waiting  here  for  rein 
forcements  they  ought  to  be  making  preparations  for  the 
advance. 

"  Of  course  I  am  no  judge  whatever  of  military  matters, 
but  it  does  seem  to  me,  as  it  seems  to  every  civilian  here,  that 
at  least  something  ought  to  be  done,  and  that  with  the  force 
we  have  here  it  is  disgraceful  that  we  should  be  doing 
nothing  while  our  countrymen  are  fighting  for  their  lives 
at  Pekin.  However,  I  suppose  the  present  state  of  things 
cannot  last  indefinitely.  I  have  no  doubt  that  telegrams 
have  been  sent  by  all  the  nations  in  Europe  to  their  military 
representatives  here  urging  them  to  make  an  effort  to  relieve 
the  Legations,  though  unfortunately,  as  we  learn  from 
Shanghai,  it  appears  to  be  almost  a  settled  conviction  in 
Europe,  as  it  is  among  the  military  men  here,  that  the  Lega 
tions  have  already  fallen  and  all  within  them  perished. 

"  The  Empress  of  China  is  the  one  person  responsible  for 
all  this  mischief.  If  she  had  set  her  face  firmly  against  the 
Boxers  from  the  first,  and  issued  stringent  instructions  to 
her  generals  to  stamp  them  out,  they  would  never  have  been 
formidable.  The  encouragement  that  she  gave  them,  and 
the  punishment  she  inflicted  upon  the  few  generals  who  did 
their  duty  and  attacked  them,  has  caused  this.  It  was  be 
cause  they  were  allowed  to  attack  the  Legations  and  destroy 
the  railway  that  the  allies  were  forced  to  capture  the  Taku 
Forts,  and  the  capture  of  the  Taku  Forts  at  once  caused  the 
Chinese  army  to  make  common  cause  with  the  Boxers.  One 
step  has  been  necessitated  by  another,  and  were  it  not  that 
the  viceroys  of  the  Yangtse  Valley  have  declined  to  obey  her 
commands,  and  have  maintained  order  in  the  districts  under 
them,  the  whole  of  China  would  be  in  a  blaze,  and  every 
European  outside  the  treaty  ports  would  have  been  massacred. 

"  As  soon  as  the  affair  is  over  I  shall  return  to  Europe,  and 


SURROUNDED  285 

remain  there  for  at  least  a  couple  of  years,  for  certainly  there 
will  be  no  renewal  of  trade  within  that  time.  You  may  be 
sure  that  every  merchant  in  the  Chinese  city  who  carried  on 
dealings  with  us,  and  was  therefore  suspected  of  being  well- 
disposed  towards  us,  is  among  the  vast  number  who  have 
been  massacred.  We  know  that  the  quarter  inhabited  by 
them  has  been  almost  destroyed,  and  before  this  can  be 
rebuilt,  and  a  fresh  body  of  men  take  their  places,  a  very 
considerable  time  must  elapse." 


CHAPTEK  XV 

RELIEF   IN   SIGHT 

AN  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of  August  the  British  and 
"  American  troops  marched  out  from  Tientsin  to  Hsi-Ku. 
The  route  led  through  the  almost  deserted  and  ruined  city, 
and  through  villages  which  straggled  away  for  miles  on  the 
northern  road.  The  weather  was  threatening  when  the  start 
was  made,  and  heavy  rain  began  to  fall  when  they  were  half 
way  out.  The  roads  soon  became  soft  and  slippery,  and 
all  felt  that  they  would  have  a  bad  time  of  it  if  the 
weather  continued  to  be  wet.  The  rain  ceased,  however,  when 
they  reached  their  destination.  They  halted  at  a  village  near 
the  fort.  Here  General  Gaselee  took  up  his  head-quarters, 
while  the  British  troops  bivouacked  to  the  left  and  the 
Americans  to  the  right  of  the  road.  Orders  were  issued  for 
an  early  start,  and  the  troops  lay  down  on  the  wet  and  miry 
ground  to  get  what  sleep  they  could. 

The  enemy  were  known  to  be  entrenched  in  a  position 
extending  across  the  river  and  railway,  their  right  resting 
on  an  embankment  running  from  Hsi-Ku  in  a  westerly 
direction,  their  left  being  five  miles  away  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  at  a  camp  near  a  railway  bridge.  Beyond  this 
the  country  was  inundated.  The  main  body  of  their  force 
was  in  the  centre,  where  the  line  crossed  the  river.  Here 
the  position  was  covered  by  a  series  of  rifle-pits  and  trenches, 
which,  being  partly  concealed  by  the  high  crops,  would  have 
been  very  difficult  to  capture  from  the  hand  of  a  determined 

286 


RELIEF   IN    SIGHT  287 

enemy.  A  grove  of  trees  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and 
within  the  loop  made  by  a  double  bend,  marked  the  centre 
of  the  position.  A  battery  of  artillery  was  posted  on  the 
embankment,  and  a  line  of  entrenchments  across  the  plain. 
On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  the  position  was  protected  by 
a  canal  running  along  its  whole  length. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  Japanese,  British,  and 
Americans  were  to  advance  against  the  enemy's  position  011 
the  right  bank  of  the  river;  that  the  Japanese  were  to  lead 
the  attack,  with  the  British  in  support  and  the  Americans 
in  reserve;  while  the  Russians  and  French,  assisted  by  the 
guns  of  the  British  Naval  Brigade,  were  to  operate  011  the 
left  bank. 

The  British  and  American  troops  had  not  a  very  long 
period  of  rest,  for  before  the  night  had  passed,  the  Japs 
arrived,  having  started  after  dark.  They  marched  straight 
through  the  village,  and  the  troops  there,  by  no  means  sorry 
to  leave  their  uncomfortable  quarters,  at  once  got  under  arms 
and  followed  them.  All  moved  forward  to  the  westward 
under  cover  of  the  embankment  upon  which  the  Chinese 
battery  stood.  It  was  necessary  to  capture  this  before  ad 
vancing  against  the  main  position. 

When  the  orders  were  issued  for  the  Japs  to  leave  at  eight 
o'clock,  Rex  had  been  rather  disposed  to  sleep  comfortably 
at  home,  and  join  them  in  the  morning,  for  he  knew  that 
his  services  would  not  be  required,  and  as  a  thunder-storm 
was  coming  on  just  as  they  formed  up,  that  feeling  increased. 
Finally,  however,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  march  with  the 
troops,  and  when  he  found  that  they  were  not  to  halt,  but 
were  going  straight  forward  to  the  attack,  he  rejoiced  that  he 
had  not  given  way  to  his  first  impulse.  He  had  brought  with 
him  a  waterproof  sheet  and  carried  his  rifle.  Ah  Lo,  who 
of  course  accompanied  him,  had  a  large  bag  of  provisions 


288  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

slung  over  his  shoulders.  His  waterproof,  which  he  wrapped 
round  him,  kept  him  dry  during  the  thunder  showers,  and 
the  brisk  march  which  the  Japanese  kept  up  prevented  him 
from  feeling  the  cold. 

"  You  are  not  going  forward  to  the  attack,  are  you, 
master  ? "  Ah  Lo  asked,  as  they  approached  the  scene  of 
action. 

"  No ;  my  father  only  allowed  me  to  como  with  the  force  on 
condition  that  I  would  not  take  part  in  the  fighting  unless 
the  position  became  so  critical  that  I  could  not  help  myself, 
and  really  I  have  no  desire  to  fight.  I  want  to  be  able  to 
see  what  is  going  on  all  round,  and  if  I  were  to  go  forward  I 
should  only  see  the  little  that  happened  near  me." 

Presently  bright  flashes  broke  out  ahead  on  the  embank 
ment,  ami  these  speedily  grew  into  a  storm  of  musketry.  As 
it  was  still  dark  the  Japanese  did  not  suffer  heavily,  the 
majority  of  the  bullets  going  overhead.  Rex  climbed  up  on 
the  embankment,  and  from  there  he  could  see,  by  their  fire, 
that  the  Japanese  advanced  steadily  till  they  were  close  to 
the  guns.  Then  they  suddenly  stopped  firing,  but  two  or 
three  minutes  later  a  volley  flashed  out,  evidently  but  a  few 
yards  from  the  Chinese  line.  For  a  moment  the  two  lines 
became  mixed;  then,  even  above  the  roar  of  musketry,  Rex 
could  hear  the  cheers  of  the  Japs,  and  he  knew  that  the  guns 
were  won.  For  some  distance  the  fire  drifted  away  along  the 
embankment,  showing  that  a  hot  pursuit  was  being  kept  up. 

It  was  now  three  in  the  morning  and  there  was  a  cessation 
of  hostilities  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  Then,  when  the  Chi 
nese  position  could  be  made  out,  the  Japanese  and  British 
guns  opened  fire  upon  it  from  behind  the  embankment.  The 
Chinese  replied  energetically,  but  in  half  an  hour  their  fire 
began  to  relax,  and  soon  ceased  altogether;  it  was  evident 
that  they  were  already  withdrawing  their  guns. 


RELIEF   IN    SIGHT  289 

Meanwhile  the  Japanese  had  been  advancing.  Supported 
by  a  mountain  battery  on  their  right,  and  taking  cover  in 
the  high  maize,  they  worked  up  close  to  the  position  held  by 
the  enemy  on  the  river  bank.  A  little  after  five  o'clock  they 
burst  out  from  their  cover  with  a  cheer,  and  dashed  at  the 
outlying  trenches.  As  they  crossed  the  open  they  suffered 
heavily  from  a  flanking  fire  poured  in  upon  them  from  the 
grove  of  trees  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  The  Chinese 
in  front  also  stood  sufficiently  long  to  inflict  severe  loss  upon 
them,  for  they  had  left  the  maize  in  too  close  formation. 
Without  a  halt,  however,  they  held  on,  sweeping  the  Chinese 
before  them,  and  carrying  entrenchment  after  entrenchment. 
Their  cavalry  cut  up  the  flying  Chinese  whenever  opportunity 
offered. 

The  British  and  Americans  had  now  come  up,  and  with 
the  Japanese  on  the  right,  and  the  Americans  on  the  left, 
the  combined  force  worked  their  way  along  the  river 
bank. 

Occasionally  the  Chinese  offered  some  slight  resistance  at 
long  range,  and  it  was  expected  that  they  would  make  a 
stand  at  Peitsang,  where  they  had  a  number  of  strong  posi 
tions.  But,  as  at  Tientsin,  the  panic  of  the  first  fugitives 
speedily  communicated  itself  to  those  behind,  and  position 
after  position  was  evacuated,  without  an  effort  to  retain 
them,  before  the  steady  advance  of  the  allies.  The  troops 
moved  along  the  river,  clearing  out  the  villages  and  quicken 
ing  the  pace  of  the  fugitives.  At  nine  o'clock  they  occupied 
Nangsung,  and  as  all  firing  ceased  pushed  on  to  Peitsang, 
which  they  found  deserted,  and  halted  there. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  the  Russians  and  French 
had  failed  to  turn  the  Chinese  right  in  the  early  morning, 
as  they  found  that  the  whole  country  was  flooded  there,  but 
the  defeat  of  the  Chinese  left  involved,  of  course,  the  retire- 


290  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ment  of  their  right,  and  at  nine  o'clock  the  Kussians  were 
able  to  occupy  the  position  on  the  railway. 

Almost  the  whole  of  the  casualties  involved  in  the  battle 
were  among  the  Japanese,  who  lost  sixty  killed  and  two 
hundred  and  forty  wounded.  The  British  had  four  killed 
and  twenty-one  wounded,  while  the  Americans,  being  in 
reserve,  had  not  suffered  at  all.  The  loss  of  the  Chinese  was 
very  small.  At  one  point  they  had  lost  fifty  killed,  but  very 
few  had  fallen  in  the  rest  of  the  entrenchments,  owing  to 
their  hurried  flight.  They  had  been  defeated  simply  because 
they  had  lost  heart,  a  fact  which  promised  well  for  the  success 
of  the  expedition,  for  in  their  flight  they  had  probably  com 
municated  their  fears  to  the  troops  behind  them.  That  in 
an  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men  there  should  have  been 
only  a  hundred  killed  was  a  proof  that  the  courage  that  had 
evaporated  after  their  first  day's  sturdy  defence  of  Tientsin 
had  been  by  no  means  restored  during  the  interval  that  had 
since  elapsed. 

The  Russians  and  French  joined  the  rest  of  the  force  at 
ten  o'clock,  and  that  day  the  baggage  came  up.  It  was  of 
the  most  miscellaneous  description.  There  were  pack  ani 
mals  of  all  sorts — horses,  mules,  ponies,  and  donkeys;  there 
were  carts  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  from  the  great  American 
wagons,  each  drawn  by  four  mules,  down  to  little  vehicles 
like  costers'  barrows,  drawn  by  little  Japanese  ponies.  Even 
the  Japanese,  whose  arrangements  were  far  better  than  those 
of  the  rest  of  the  allies,  were  but  poorly  provided.  They  had 
only  intended  originally  to  take  a  brigade  to  Pekin,  and  had 
brought  transport  sufficient  for  that;  but  when  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  British  force  was  detained  for  work  in  the 
south,  they  were  obliged  to  take  a  division,  and  consequently 
a  double  strain  was  thrown  upon  their  transport. 

On  the  following  morning  the  main  body  of  the  Japanese 


THEIR   CAVALRY  CUT   UP  THE   FLYING   CHINESE. 


RELIEF   IN   SIGHT  291 

advanced  along  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  repairing  the 
breaches  that  had  been  made  in  it.  The  British  and  Ameri 
cans,  with  two  battalions  of  Japs  and  a  battery  of  field- 
artillery,  were  to  advance  upon  Yangtsun;  the  Russians  and 
French  were  also  to  march  upon  that  bank.  An  early  start 
was  made,  the  Russians  and  French  going  on  ahead  of  the 
British.  They  followed  the  line  of  the  river.  General 
Gaselee  marched  by  more  direct  roads,  and,  getting  ahead 
of  them,  came  into  touch  with  the  enemy  at  half-past  nine. 
Their  position  was  a  strong  one,  their  right  resting  011  a 
bridge  close  to  the  river,  in  an  angle  made  between  it  and 
the  railway  embankment.  Near  this  bridge  were  the  ruins 
of  Nangsung  railway-station,  which  formed  the  centre  of 
their  position.  Their  left  extended  far  to  the  eastward, 
where  the  town  of  Nangsung  lay  hidden  behind  a  number 
of  villages.  Generals  Gaselee  and  Chaffee  took  up  their 
position  on  a  high  sand-hill  two  miles  away  from  the  railway- 
station,  from  which  they  were  able  to  direct  the  operations. 

The  enemy's  fire  was  first  drawn  by  a  company  of  Cossacks, 
who  had  been  sent  on  ahead  of  the  Russian  force  to  recon 
noitre.  The  main  body  of  the  Russians  had  not  arrived,  nor 
had  the  Japanese  detached  to  co-operate  with  the  British  and 
Americans.  Nevertheless,  the  general  decided  to  attack  at 
once.  The  12th  Field  Battery  was  brought  up  on  the  left, 
and  opened  fire  on  the  villages  near  the  railway-station. 
Under  cover  of  this  the  infantry  attack  developed,  the  British 
advancing  in  extended  order  through  the  high  maize,  and 
the  Americans  on  the  left  of  the  railway  embankment,  cov 
ered  by  the  fire  of  Rally's  battery. 

While  the  preparations  were  being  made,  General  Lini- 
vitch  came  up  and  explained  to  General  Gaselee  that  the 
Russians  were  advancing  on  the  enemy's  right,  along  the 
road  running  parallel  with  the  river.  The  Japanese  detach- 


292  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ment  also  came  up.  The  advance  now  became  general,  the 
British  in  the  centre,  the  Americans  on  the  right,  and  the 
Russians  on  the  left.  The  British  led  the  direct  assault  upon 
the  enemy's  entrenchments.  The  1st  Sikhs,  who  were  at 
the  head  of  the  line,  moved  steadily  forward  in  the  face  of  a 
very  heavy  rifle  fire,  which  was  maintained  until  they  ar 
rived  at  a  short  distance  from  the  railway-station.  As  usual, 
however,  the  Chinese  lost  heart  when  they  saw  that  they  were 
about  to  be  charged  with  the  bayonet,  and  retreated  to  the 
top  of  the  railway  embankment,  from  which  for  a  short  time 
they  kept  up  a  fire  upon  the  American  regiment  next  to  the 
Sikhs.  The  front  entrenchment  was  carried  just  about  eleven 
o'clock,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  fire  ceased,  the 
enemy  retiring  towards  Yangtsun. 

The  Russians  passed  out  to  the  rear  of  the  captured  vil 
lages,  seized  the  railway-station,  erected  a  battery,  and  bom 
barded  the  villages  round  Yangtsun  and  the  town  itself. 
Meanwhile  the  force,  on  the  right  were  engaged  in  clearing 
out  the  villages  in  that  direction,  the  Bengal  Lancers  scatter 
ing  the  demoralized  enemy  in  every  direction.  Yangtsun 
was  occupied  without  resistance  during  the  afternoon.  The 
losses  had  been  comparatively  slight.  The  British  casualties 
were  under  fifty,  of  which  twenty- four  were  among  the  Sikhs. 
The  Americans  lost  seventy-four  and  the  Russians  twenty- 
seven,  but  these  proportionately  large  numbers  were  ac 
counted  for  by  the  fact  that  both  these  detachments  advanced 
in  somewhat  closer  order  than  the  British,  who,  keeping  their 
line  well  extended,  suffered  comparatively  little  loss,  though 
they  were  exposed  to  a  heavier  fire  than  the  others.  The  Jap 
anese  had  taken  no  part  in  the  engagement,  as  they  had  been 
on  the  other  bank  of  the  river. 

The  troops  were  very  much  exhausted  after  their  two  days' 
marching  and  fighting  in  the  great  heat,  and  the  next  day 


RELIEF    IN    SIGHT  293 

they  remained  at  Yangtsun,  partly  for  rest  and  partly  to 
give  time  to  the  junks  to  come  up.  A  council  of  war  was 
held,  and  it  was  decided  that  the  road  should  now  be  left, 
and  that  the  whole  force  should  proceed  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river.  The  Japs  were  to  lead  the  advance,  the 
Kussians  were  to  follow,  the  Americans  to  come  next,  and 
the  British  to  bring  up  the  rear. 

During  the  day  Rex  went  out  to  look  at  some  of  the  cap 
tured  villages,  but  he  was  so  horrified  by  the  number  of 
peasants  whom  he  found  lying  dead  that  he  soon  returned 
to  Yangtsun.  The  Russians  appeared  to  have  killed  every 
one  they  met,  whether  soldiers  or  quiet  peasants.  The 
Americans,  in  the  villages  they  had  taken,  had  acted  very 
differently.  In  these  places  he  found  that  the  peasants  had 
not  been  molested.  He  had  himself  been  with  the  detach 
ment  of  the  Japanese  that  joined  the  British,  and  had  there 
fore  been  a  witness  of  the  fighting. 

"  I  cannot  say  much  for  your  countrymen,  Ah  Lo,"  he  said. 
"  If  they  are  not  going  to  fight  better  than  they  have  done, 
they  had  much  better  have  cleared  off  the  road  altogether 
and  left  it  open  for  us  to  go  quietly  to  Pekin." 

"  Chinaman  no  good  to  fight,"  Ah  Lo  said  contemptuously. 
"  Fight  well  enough  at  distance,  but  no  good  when  they  see 
that  Europeans  always  come  on  in  spite  of  their  firing.  Very 
good  to  kill  missionaries,  no  good  to  fight  soldiers." 

"  Do  you  think  we  shall  find  the  Legations  safe,  Ah  Lo  ? " 

"  I  hope  so,  master ;  but  if  they  go  on  fighting  all  the  time, 
instead  of  same  as  when  we  were  there,  Chinese  must  have 
taken  nearly  all  the  Legations.  I  expect  all  the  people  are 
crowded  up  into  British  Legation;  they  make  great  fight 
there." 

"  That  is  so,  Ah  Lo ;  the  less  space  they  have  to  defend,  the 
stronger  they  become,  but  they  will  have  a  terrible  experi- 


294  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ence  if  they  are  all  crowded  into  the  British  Legation.  The 
place  was  full  enough  when  we  left.  Still,  I  can  hardly  hope 
that,  if  the  Chinese  have  gone  on  attacking  all  the  time,  we 
could  hold  more  than  our  own  Legation.  The  French  Lega 
tion  was  almost  destroyed  before  we  came  away,  the  Russian 
Legation  could  only  be  held  with  difficulty,  and  more  than 
half  the  Fu  had  already  been  captured.  I  try  to  think  that 
it  is  all  right,  but  I  am  horribly  anxious.  All  the  time  that 
was  wasted  after  we  had  taken  Tientsin  I  was  regretting 
that  we  had  not  stopped  at  Pekin.  Our  two  rifles  might  not 
have  been  of  much  good,  but  we  should  certainly  have  been 
of  some  use,  and  above  all,  I  wanted  to  be  there  in  case  the 
Legations  were  captured.  My  cousins  have  their  Chinese 
dresses  ready,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  there  must 
have  been  some  points  that  were  not  attacked  where  I  could 
have  lowered  them  down  from  the  wall  and  so  escaped  into 
the  city.  Once  away  from  the  fighting,  we  ought  to  have  been 
able  to  find  some  place  of  concealment  among  so  many 
ruined  and  deserted  houses." 

"  Perhaps  they  stand  out  all  right,"  said  Ah  Lo. 

"  I  hope  so,  Ah  Lo,  I  hope  so  with  all  my  heart,  but  I  am 
terribly  anxious,  and  I  grudge  even  this  day's  halt,  knowing 
that  every  hour  is  of  importance,  and  that  even  while  we  are 
staying  here  to-day,  the  massacre  may  be  going  on." 

Ah  Lo  had  no  consolation  to  offer.  He  felt  that  what  his 
master  said  was  true,  and  that  .at  any  moment  the  catastro 
phe  might  occur. 

The  Japanese  started  early  on  the  following  day.  They 
were  already  in  advance,  and  for  this  reason  they  had  been 
chosen  to  lead.  A  halt  was  made  at  Tung-Chow,  ten  miles 
distant,  no  resistance  having  been  encountered  on  the  way. 
The  Japanese  arrived  long  before  the  rest  of  the  allies.  They 
were  very  fast  marchers,  and  their  transport  was  light  and 


RELIEF    IN    SIGHT  295 

handy,  and  able  to  keep  up  with  the  infantry  column.  The 
Russians,  on  the  other  hand,  were  very  slow  marchers.  They 
slouched  along  as  if  half-asleep,  made  very  frequent  halts, 
and  their  average  pace  rarely  exceeded  a  mile  an  hour. 
Consequently  the  Americans,  who  followed  them,  were  fre 
quently  blocked.  The  Russians,  too,  always  stopped  at  a 
village,  thus  compelling  the  Americans  to  halt  on  the  hot 
and  sandy  road.  This  accounted  for  the  great  number  of 
casualties  from  sun-stroke  among  the  American  troops,  for 
the  very  slow  progress  made  by  the  Americans  and  British, 
and  for  the  great  amount  of  marching  which  they  had  to  do 
during  the  hottest  hours  of  the  day,  instead  of  completing 
their  journey  before  the  sun  had  attained  its  full  strength. 

The  Japanese  generally  completed  their  marches  before  the 
sun  was  high.  The  Americans  seemed  to  suffer  most  from 
the  sun,  but  they  marched  fast  in  the  early  morning  and 
when  the  heat  of  the  day  was  over.  The  British  marching 
was  good,  and  the  Indian  troops  carried  themselves  well  and 
marched  in  good  order  even  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day, 
though  many  fell  out.  As  regards  uniforms,  the  British  were 
better  off  than  the  others.  The  Japs  wore  white,  and  conse 
quently  they  were  visible  for  miles,  while  the  British  khaki 
could  scarcely  be  seen  at  a  hundred  yards.  The  Russians 
were  also  in  white,  but  their  uniforms  being  always  ex 
tremely  dirty  the  disadvantage  was  not  so  apparent.  The 
Americans,  like  the  British,  had  khaki,  but  they  seldom  wore 
their  coats,  and  their  blue  shirts  rendered  them  visible  for 
considerable  distances. 

On  the  following  day  a  mixed  body  of  Lancers,  Cossacks, 
and  Japanese  cavalry  scouted  the  country  ahead  and  came  in 
contact  with  the  enemy  half-way  to  TTo-hsi-Wu,  where  it  was 
expected  that  the  Chinese  would  make  another  stand.  The 
main  body  halted  and  encamped,  and  the  Japs  threw  out 


296  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

outposts.  During  the  day  two  squadrons  of  Bengal  Lancers 
came  upon  a  force  of  four  hundred  Chinese  cavalry,  whom 
they  charged,  killing  forty  or  fifty  and  capturing  their 
standards. 

The  British  always  came  in  a  long  time  after  the  rest  of 
the  force.  They  followed  the  winding  of  the  river  to  protect 
the  junks  which  were  carrying  up  the  heavy  guns  intended 
for  the  siege  of  Pekin.  It  was  fortunate-  that  forage  was 
plentiful  for  the  cavalry  and  the  animals  of  the  artillery  and 
transport.  The  millet  was  standing  high,  and  as  frequently 
a  large  extent  of  this  grain  had  to  be  cut  down  to  make  a 
clearance  for  a  camping-ground,  there  was  abundant  fodder 
to  supply  all  the  demands.  The  junks  came  up  very  slowly, 
towed  by  lines  of  coolies  on  the  bank,  and  their  late  arrival 
frequently  excited  great  exasperation  among  the  troops,  who 
were  dependent  upon  them  for  their  supplies. 

Ho-hsi-Wu  was  a  small  village,  near  which  was  situated  an 
arsenal  stored  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  gunpowder  as 
well  as  a  supply  of  guns  of  the  latest  pattern.  The  Chinese 
had  made  an  attempt  to  divert  the  course  of  the  river  by 
digging  an  enormous  trench  in  the  direction  of  some  low- 
lying  ground.  Fortunately  they  had  not  had  time  to  com 
plete  the  work,  for  not  only  would  it  have  still  further 
lowered  the  river,  but  it  would  have  rendered  an  attack  on 
the  village  difficult,  as  the  trench  was  twenty  feet  deep,  and 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  wide.  As  it  was  left  it  was  still 
above  the  level  of  the  water,  and  could  be  crossed  easily. 
The  village  was  therefore  captured  after  only  a  slight  resist 
ance. 

The  scene  on  board  the  long  lines  of  junks  was  interesting, 
and,  to  a  looker-on,  amusing.  Two  or  three  times  Rex  handed 
his  horse  to  Ah  Lo  and  took  passage  in  one  of  the  junks. 
These,  of  course,  were  guarded  by  soldiers  of  the  various 


RELIEF   IX    SIGHT  297 

nationalities  whose  supplies  were  on  board.  All  did  their 
best  to  urge  on  their  coolies,  and  as  collisions  were  frequent, 
and  boats  every  now  and  again  ran  ashore,  the  hubbub  of 
shouting  in  five  or  six  languages  was  appalling.  Rudders 
were  smashed,  bulwarks  crashed  in,  and  damage  done  in 
every  way,  but  the  crowd  of  lubberly  craft  pushed  on  in  spite 
of  the  confusion  that  everywhere  reigned. 

The  Japanese  had  unquestionably  the  best  of  it.  They 
were  comfortably  settled  down  with  their  hospital  erected 
before  the  Russians  lumbered  up.  Everything  they  did  was 
as  well  arranged  as  if  they  had  been  at  home,  and  Ilex  could 
not  but  admit  that  these  little  soldiers  were  far  ahead  of 
those  of  any  European  country  in  point  of  organization, 
discipline,  and  the  quickness  and  cheeriness  of  their  move 
ments.  No  looting  was  allowed  among  them,  and  very  few 
outrages  indeed  were  committed  by  them  011  the  unfortunate 
peasantry.  In  this  respect  they  compared  very  favourably 
with  the  troops  of  all  other  nationalities,  even  including  our 
own,  although  General  Gaselee  set  himself  strongly  against 
such  acts,  severely  punishing  such  offenders  as  could  be 
brought  to  justice. 

On  the  tenth  the  Japanese  again  pressed  on,  their  out 
posts  getting  to  within  a  mile  of  the  retreating  enemy. 
General  Fukushima,  the  moving  spirit  of  the  pursuit,  was 
asked  in  the  evening  if  his  troops  were  not  very  tired. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  grimly,  "  and  so  are  the  enemy." 

This  was  the  spirit  in  which  he  carried  on  the  movement. 
The  enemy  were  to  be  kept  on  the  run,  no  time  was  to  be 
given  them  to  recover  their  spirits.  They  were  even  worse 
off  than  their  pursuing  enemy,  for  they  had  no  commissariat, 
carried  no  provisions  with  them,  and  had  to  feed  upon  what 
they  could  gather  at  their  halting-places,  which  was  seldom 
more  than  melons  and  millet  from  the  fields. 


298  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

The  Japanese  cavalry  and  infantry  halted  about  three 
miles  in  advance  of  the  main  body.  When  the  rest  of  the 
infantry  came  up,  they  were  extended  and  searched  all  the 
villages  near  the  line  of  march.  This  done,  the  cavalry  again 
went  on  ahead  for  some  distance,  and  the  process  was  then 
repeated. 

In  this  way  the  army  marched  down  to  Matou.  It  was  a 
long  march,  and  the  troops  all  suffered  terribly  from  the  heat, 
with  the  exception  of  the  British,  who  were  wisely  kept  at 
their  last  halting-place  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  came 
on  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  The  main  body  of  the  force 
bivouacked  at  Matou,  the  Japanese  camp  being  three  miles 
farther  ahead. 

The  next  morning  the  Japanese  arrived  at  Chan-Chia- 
Wan.  The  day  was  cooler  than  the  preceding  one,  and  some 
rain  fell,  affording  great  relief  from  the  heat.  The  Japanese 
reached  the  place  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  sent  on  a  strong 
detachment  of  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery  to  reconnoitre. 
They  discovered  the  enemy  in  a  position  south  of  Chungtaw. 
At  about  two  o'clock  the  Japanese  brought  up  some  more 
artillery  and  shelled  the  place,  whereupon  the  enemy  retired 
into  Tung-Chow,  a  large  and  very  wealthy  city  only  thirteen 
miles  from  Pekin.  The  next  morning  the  Japanese  entered 
Tung-Chow  without  meeting  with  any  resistance  and  took 
possession  of  half  of  the  city.  The  rest  of  the  allied  army 
arrived  somewhat  later,  and  at  once  began  to  loot  their 
portion  of  the  town. 

All  the  river  trade  down  to  Tientsin  passes  through  Tung- 
Chow,  which  contains  even  richer  pawn-shops  than  Pekin 
itself.  These  are  very  important  institutions  in  China,  not 
only  because  of  the  richness  of  the  securities  on  which  money 
is  advanced,  but  because  they  are  used  as  storing-places  for 
valuables  by  the  general  public,  and  contain  immense  quan- 


RELIEF  IN   SIGHT  299 

titles  of  jewellery,  costly  furs,  jade,  and  works  of  art  of  all 
sorts  and  descriptions. 

The  greater  part  of  the  lower  class  of  the  population  had 
remained  in  the  city,  and  they  joined  in  the  general  looting, 
which  was  carried  on  everywhere  whenever  they  saw  a 
chance.  Officers  in  vain  tried  .to  keep  their  men  in  control 
in  the  narrow  streets,  but  in  the  Russian  section  the  soldiers 
were  allowed  to  do  just  as  they  pleased,  and  they  gave  them 
selves  entirely  to  looting,  rapine,  and  crime  of  every  kind. 
The  reports  of  the  flying  Chinese  soldiers  had  aroused  in  the 
people  an  intense  fear  of  the  foreign  devils,  and  so  when  the 
troops  arrived  at  a  town  or  village  many  of  the  inhabitants 
made  away  with  themselves  to  avoid  the  outrages  of  a 
licensed  soldiery.  Women  threw  themselves  out  of  windows 
or  drowned  themselves  in  wells,  indeed  whole  families  often 
committed  suicide  in  order  to  avoid  a  worse  fate.  Thus, 
although  very  many  terrible  outrages  were  committed,  these 
accounted  for  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  deaths  among 
the  Chinese  people. 

The  British  camp  was  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  and  the 
soldiers  were  not  allowed  inside  the  town,  and  stringent 
orders  had  been  given  against  looting.  Had  the  other  gen 
erals  taken  the  same  view  of  the  matter,  the  campaign  would 
not  have  been  disgraced  by  the  plundering  and  murder  of 
innocent  people.  The  British  general  was  proud  of  his 
troops,  and  justly  so. 

Eex  had  secured  a  room  in  the  quarter  held  by  the  Japa 
nese  and  enjoyed  a  good  sleep.  He  was  greatly  grieved  at  the 
awful  destruction  that  went  on  in  the  town,  and  he  could 
not  but  wonder  at  the  cowardice  of  the  Chinese  in  evacuat 
ing,  without  striking  a  blow,  a  place  whose  walls  were  at 
least  as  strong  as  those  at  Tientsin,  and  leaving  its  enormous 
wealth  to  the  enemy.  He  got  up  early  in  the  morning  and 


300  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN" 

rode  out.  The  sun  had  not  yet  risen,  but  the  narrow  streets 
were  filled  with  the  scum  of  the  town,  who,  invisible  the  day 
before,  had  now  returned  in  numbers,  bent  on  looting  the 
houses  of  their  more  wealthy  countrymen  who  had  forsaken 
them.  Filthy  beggars  and  coolies  staggered  along  under  the 
weight  of  furs  and  rolls  of  silk.  The  front  of  nearly  every 
house  was  broken  in  and  its  contents  turned  topsy-turvy. 
The  allies  had  taken  the  pick  of  the  goods,  but  vast 
quantities  remained  for  any  who  chose  to  carry  them 
away. 

The  changes  of  fortune  that  twenty-four  hours  had 
wrought  were  extraordinary.  Rich  men  had  become  beggars, 
beggars  had  acquired  that  which  made  them  wealthy. 

Rex  let  his  horse  help  himself  at  the  grain  shop;  the  day 
was  likely  to  be  a  heavy  one,  and  the  rations  served  out  were 
but  scanty. 

"  Now,  Ah  Lo,"  he  said,  as  he  joined  the  Japanese  troops, 
who  as  usual  started  before  daylight,  "  this  is  the  last  day  of 
the  march.  By  to-night  our  suspense  will  be  over  and  we 
shall  know  what  has  happened." 

The  Japanese  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  themselves.  Gen 
eral  Yamaguchi,  on  entering  the  town,  issued  a  proclamation 
promising  protection  to  non-combatants,  and  telling  the 
people  to  remain  in  their  houses.  It  was  unfortunate  indeed 
that  the  Japanese  had  not  occupied  the  whole  of  the  city. 
If  they  had,  the  scenes  that  have  disgraced  the  nations  would 
have  been  avoided. 

The  Japanese  advanced  by  an  old  stone  causeway  leading 
to  the  eastern  gate  of  the  Tartar  City,  the  Russians  by  a 
road  more  to  the  south,  but  north  of  the  canal,  and  leading 
to  the  northern  gate  of  the  Chinese  city.  South  of  the  canal 
were  the  Americans,  and  still  farther  to  the  south  the  British. 
It  had  been  arranged  on  the  previous  evening,  at  the  meeting 


RELIEF   IN   SIGHT  301 

of  the  generals,  that  the  column  should  halt  a  short  distance 
from  the  city.  This  arrangement,  however,  was  broken  by 
the  Russians,  who  marched  close  up  to  the  city  walls,  and, 
meeting  with  no  opposition  and  thinking  that  a  surprise 
might  be  effected,  advanced  up  to  the  gate.  Here,  however, 
they  were  met  by  a  heavy  rifle  fire,  which  killed  and  wounded 
many  men.  They  could  not  well  retire,  and  their  message 
begging  for  reinforcements  was  the  first  intimation  of  what 
had  occurred.  A  subsequent  rumour  stated  that  they  had 
succeeded  in  entering  the  city,  and  the  other  generals,  an 
noyed  at  the  trick  by  which  the  Russians  hoped  to  have  the 
glory  of  being  the  first  to  get  into  the  city,  at  once  marched 
forward  with  all  haste  and  without  consultation. 

The  Japs  had,  as  agreed,  halted  at  a  village  three  miles 
from  the  eastern  gate,  and  in  one  of  the  dwellings  attached 
to  a  joss-house,  or  temple,  Rex  and  a  few  Japanese  took 
shelter.  As  night  came  on,  a  drizzling  rain  began  to  fall. 
At  nine  o'clock  desultory  firing  was  heard  to  the  east,  and 
half  an  hour  after,  a  few  shots  somewhat  nearer  came  from 
the  direction  of  the  eastern  gate.  Later,  the  fire  increased, 
and  the  Japs  got  under  arms.  As  the  night  was  very  dark 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  what  was  going  on,  and,  mindful 
of  the  arrangement  that  had  been  made,  they  could  not 
attempt  to  advance.  Just  before  daylight  they  started  again, 
and  then  Rex  learned  of  the  trick  the  Russians  had  played, 
and  that  a  messenger  had  arrived  begging  Fukushima  to  send 
reinforcements.  The  officer  who  brought  the  message  said 
that  if  the  Japanese  joined  the  Russians  the  combined  force 
could  succeed  in  making  an  entrance  through  the  wall  into 
the  city. 

Fukushima  replied :  "  What  about  the  Americans  and  the 
British?" 

The  Russian  officer  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said :  "  Why 


302  WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 

should  we  trouble  about  them  when  we  can  do  without 
them?" 

Fukushima  replied  angrily  that  he  had  undertaken  to 
attack  at  a  certain  time,  and  that  he  should  stick  to  his  under 
taking. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  bad  beginning  to  the  day's  work,"  Rex 
said  to  the  Japanese  officer  who  was  marching  alongside. 

"  I  wish  we  had  come  without  the  Russians  at  all,"  the 
officer  replied ;  "  they  have  brought  disgrace  upon  us  all  by 
their  infamous  doings.  They  have  worked  on  their  own 
account  since  they  started.  They  are  surly  brutes,  and  I 
would  infinitely  rather  fight  against  them,  as  I  have  no  doubt 
we  shall  have  to  do  some  day,  than  against  these  poor 
beggars  of  Chinese.  It  is  perfectly  scandalous  that,  after 
making  an  agreement  only  last  night  that  we  were  to  hold  a 
council  this  morning  and  arrange  for  an  attack  in  unison, 
they  should  sneak  forward  and  try  to  get  all  the  glory  them 
selves." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   CAPTURE    OF    PEKIN 

THE  day  was  just  breaking  as  the  Japanese  moved  forward. 
Rex  rode  with  their  advance  guard,  which  was  moving 
along  on  the  road  with  flanking  parties  in  the  woods  close  by. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  sound  of  rifle  shots  in  the  woods,  and 
bullets  whizzed  through  the  air  overhead.  The  column  at 
once  broke  up,  and,  taking  shelter  among  the  bushes,  began 
to  advance  in  the  direction  of  the  firing,  which  became 
heavier  every  moment.  It  was  a  complete  surprise,  for  110 
idea  had  been  entertained  that  the  Chinese  would  advance 
beyond  the  protection  of  their  walls. 

The  main  body  behind  had  halted.  Some  wounded  men 
were  carried  out  of  the  woods,  but  they  could  give  no  par 
ticulars  as  to  the  force  that  had  attacked  them.  Presently  a 
mounted  Russian  officer  dashed  out  from  the  wood  and  rode 
up  to  the  head-quarter  staff,  where  he  shouted  to  Fukushima 
that  the  Russians  and  Japs  were  firing  upon  each  other. 

Orders  were  at  once  given  to  cease  firing,  and  investiga 
tions  showed  that  the  affair  had  been  caused  by  a  few 
Chinese  lurking  in  the  wood,  who  had  fired  upon  the  Japs. 
The  Russians,  whose  movements  were  unknown  to  the  Japs, 
were  advancing  on  the  other  side  of  the  wood,  and  the  Japa 
nese  bullets  flying  over  their  heads  led  them  to  believe  that 
they  were  attacked  by  the  Chinese,  and  so  the  two  allied 
forces  skirmished  briskly  with  each  other  until  the  mistake 

303 


304  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

was  discovered.  Unfortunately  several  men  were  wounded  on 
both  sides,  and  two  Russians  killed. 

As  soon  as  the  matter  was  cleared  up  the  Japanese  resumed 
their  forward  march,  and  in  a  short  time,  on  rounding  the 
base  of  a  small  eminence,  they  saw  the  great  wall  of  Pekin 
and  the  massive  gate-house. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  outside  the  town  extended  a  laby 
rinth  of  narrow  streets.  The  road  ran  straight  through 
these  to  the  first  gate  leading  through  the  great  tower.  To 
reach  this  the  wide  moat,  crossed  by  a  great  stone  bridge, 
had  to  be  traversed.  The  gate  itself  could  not  be  seen,  as 
the  road  made  a  sharp  angle  at  the  tower,  and  therefore 
guns  could  not  be  brought  to  play  upon  it  until  they  were 
close  up.  Beyond  this  gate  was  a  large  yard,  and  from  this 
opened  the  inner  gate  of  the  wall  itself. 

Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen  in  the  streets,  and  the  Japanese 
moved  forward  with  a  general  feeling  of  expectation  and 
wonderment.  Why  did  not  the  Chinese  open  fire?  They 
were  within  short  range,  and  yet  there  was  no  sign  whatever 
of  the  foe. 

They  began  to  think  that,  as  at  Tung-Chow,  the  entry  was 
riot  going  to  be  opposed,  when  suddenly,  as  they  rounded  the 
bend,  a  tremendous  fire  broke  out  from  the  walls  and  a 
storm  of  bullets  smote  the  column.  Pending  orders,  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  rush  for  shelter,  and  the  dispersal 
of  the  solid  battalions  resembled  that  of  a  crowd  when  a 
thunder-shower  breaks  suddenly  overhead.  For  a  time 
nothing  could  be  done.  Crowded  in  the  little  houses,  the 
troops  waited  for  the  engineers,  who  were  to  blow  up  the  gate, 
to  complete  their  work. 

Rex,  by  stooping  low,  made  his  way  forward  until  he 
reached  a  point  where  he  could  watch  what  was  going  on  i'n 
front.  Here  he  could  see  the  little  Japanese  soldiers  cheering 


THE   CAPTURE    OF    PEKIN  305 

as  they  advanced,  running  forward  towards  the  gate  under  a 
tremendous  fire  of  musketry.  Of  the  first  detachment  more 
than  half  fell  before  they  had  gone  many  yards,  but  others 
pushed  on  until  almost  the  last  man  had  fallen.  Attempt 
after  attempt  was  made,  the  brave  fellows  going  forward  as 
cheerfully  to  almost  certain  death  as  if  to  a  fete.  It  soon 
became  evident,  however,  that  success  could  not  be  attained 
even  at  the  greatest  sacrifice  of  life,  and  twenty  minutes 
after  its  commencement  the  attack  was  given  up. 

Nothing  could  now  be  done  until  night  fell  and  afforded 
a  screen  for  the  forlorn  hope  to  get  up  to  the  gate.  The 
Japanese  artillery  were  brought  up  and  placed  on  some  ele 
vated  ground  beyond  the  suburb  outside  the  wall,  and  opened 
fire  on  the  gate  and  its  surroundings.  Meanwhile  the  troops 
were  withdrawn  from  the  houses  near  the  walls,  and,  scatter 
ing  among  those  at  a  safer  distance  from  it,  lay  down  and 
waited  for  further  orders. 

Rex  went  out  with  Fukushima  to  the  hill  on  which  the 
Japanese  guns  were  preparing  to  open  fire.  There  were  no 
fewer  than  sixty-four  of  them,  for  the  most  part  quite  small, 
and  these  were  soon  all  at  work  pounding  the  great  tower 
and  the  wall.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  it  became 
evident  that  the  massively-built  structure  was  not  to  be 
seriously  injured  by  such  puny  missiles,  and  while  the  larger 
guns  were  still  kept  at  work  the  smaller  ones  were  turned 
upon  the  city  wall.  As  a  result  the  enemy's  musketry  fire 
diminished,  and  soon  only  an  occasional  shot  rang  out  from 
the  wall.  The  Chinese  fired  a  few  shells  in  reply,  but 
strangely  enough  they  did  but  little  in  that  way,  although 
the  outlying  suburb  might  very  speedily  have  been  set  on  fire 
and  the  Japs  driven  out  from  their  shelter. 

The  Japanese  fire  continued  for  six  hours,  but  even  at  the 
end  of  that  time  the  gate-tower,  although  its  face  was  closely 


306  WITH   THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

pock-marked  by  the  balls,  had  not  been  seriously  damaged. 
The  day  passed  slowly,  and  it  was  a  relief  indeed  when,  as 
darkness  came  on,  the  men  again  moved  up  into  the  houses 
on  the  main  road  and  in  the  lanes  branching  from  it. 
After  all  were  ready  they  were  still  kept  waiting,  but  at  last 
two  loud  explosions  were  heard.  The  engineers  had  done 
their  work,  and  in  a  few  seconds  the  Japanese  were  swarming 
out  of  the  houses  and  going  forward  at  the  double,  keeping 
time  as  they  went  to  the  cheerful  cry  of  "  One,  two ;  one, 
two,"  with  which  they  always  advanced.  But  the  Chinese 
were  not  taken  unprepared.  A  storm  of  fire  broke  out  from 
the  great  tower  and  the  battlements  on  the  walls,  as  heavy 
as  that  which  they  had  encountered  in  the  morning.  But 
happily  it  was  to  a  certain  extent  a  random  one,  for  although 
the  moon  had  just  risen,  its  light  was  not  sufficiently  strong 
to  enable  the  defenders  of  the  walls  to  make  out  the  advanc 
ing  enemy  with  any  accuracy.  Nevertheless,  the  middle  of 
the  road  was  so  swept  with  fire  that  the  Japs,  as  they  ad 
vanced,  had  to  take  what  shelter  they  could  in  the  houses  on 
either  side.  As  they  got  to  the  last  broad  open  space  they 
halted  at  the  corner  and  then  went  forward  in  batches,  cheer 
ing  and  singing.  Many  fell,  but  many  also  reached  the  gate, 
and  once  under  the  wall  they  were  in  shelter  from  the  fire. 
The  leading  parties,  dashing  through  the  gate  which  had 
been  blown  down,  speedily  drove  back  those  of  the  defenders 
gathered  there.  The  gate-house  was  soon  captured,  and  the 
troops,  as  they  entered,  were  marched  up  to  the  top  of  the 
wall,  and,  following  this  to  the  right  and  left,  drove  the 
Chinese  before  them,  the  latter,  however,  offering  an  obsti 
nate  resistance  at  each\  bastion. 

From  the  walls  the  city  appeared  a  mass  of  ruins.  The 
continuous  fire  of  the  Japanese  guns  had  created  immense 
destruction;  large  spaces  had  been  swept  by  shot  and  shell. 


THE    CAPTURE    OF    PEKIN  307 

At  some  points  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  from  the  ruins  upon 
the  white-clad  column,  which  showed  up  very  clear  in  the 
moonlight  on  the  top  of  the  wall ;  but  this  form  of  opposition 
presently  ceased.  Great  fires  could  be  seen  burning  in  the 
direction  of  the  Legations,  and  the  column  pressed  on, 
anxious  to  be  among  the  first  to  arrive  there.  Just  at  mid 
night,  however,  they  came  upon  a  Russian  picket  on  the  wall, 
and  to  their  disappointment  learned  that  the  Legations  had 
been  relieved  in  the  afternoon.  They  pressed  on,  however, 
and  at  two  o'clock  entered  the  Legations. 

The  general  and  his  staff  stopped  at  the  Japanese  Legation, 
but  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  pushed  on  over  barricades  and  ruins  to 
that  of  the  British.  Here  they  found  almost  every  square 
foot  of  ground  occupied,  but  they  made  their  way  among  the 
sleepers  until  they  reached  the  hospital.  Here  alone  there 
were  signs  of  life;  lights  shone  in  the  windows.  Rex,  know 
ing  the  way  well,  moved  quietly  into  the  kitchen.  Fires  were 
still  burning,  and  kettles  and  pots  were  boiling.  On  the  floor, 
with  her  head  resting  on  a  chair,  Mabel  was  sitting  fast 
asleep.  Feeling  sure  that  Jenny  was  assisting  in  the  wards, 
he  remained  quiet  for  a  minute  or  two  until  the  head  nurse 
entered  with  a  can  for  water. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Bateman !  "  she  exclaimed  as  she  saw  him,  "  I 
am  indeed  glad  to  see  you.  Your  cousins  have  been  very 
anxious  about  you.  We  have  nearly  finished  in  the  hospital 
now,  and  shall  get  an  hour  or  two's  sleep,  I  hope.  I  will 
send  your  cousin  out  to  you  at  once." 

"  2To,  thank  you !  "  said  Rex ;  "  now  that  I  know  they  are 
both  well  I  am  quite  content  to  wait  till  morning,  but  I 
should  be  obliged  if  you  would  let  Jenny  know  that  I  have 
been  here." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so." 

"  We  have  been  practically  two  nights  without  sleep,"  said 


308  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

Rex,  "  and  now  I  know  that  the  girls  are  well,  I  feel  that  I 
have  only  to  find  room  enough  to  lie  down  somewhere,  and 
I  shall  be  off  to  sleep  almost  before  my  head  touches  the 
ground." 

"  I  cannot  ask  you  to  stop  here,  Mr.  Bateman,  for  our  regu 
lations  are  very  strict." 

"  Thank  you !  I  was  not  thinking  of  that,  and  indeed  I 
should  much  prefer  the  open  air." 

He  joined  Ah  Lo  again,  and,  lying  down  on  the  ground 
close  to  the  entrance  of  the  hospital,  he  fell  asleep  almost 
immediately. 

Although  the  Japanese  had  done  by  far  the  heaviest  fight 
ing  and  suffered  the  greatest  loss,  the  other  allies  had  in  some 
cases  had  serious  fighting.  The  Russian  attack,  although 
it  had  been  made  in  defiance  of  the  agreement  entered  into, 
that  no  advance  whatever  should  be  made  against  the  city 
until  all  the  allies  had  arrived  at  the  positions  assigned  to 
them,  was  a  gallant  affair,  and  to  a  certain  extent  an  acci 
dent.  Their  reconnoitring  party,  consisting  of  four  hundred 
infantry  and  three  guns,  had  pushed  forward,  meeting  with 
no  signs  of  the  enemy  until,  to  their  surprise,  they  found 
themselves  close  up  to  the  outer  walls,  at  the  angle  where  the 
walls  of  the  Chinese  and  Tartar  cities  join.  It  was  pitch 
dark  when  they  arrived,  and  with  a  sudden  rush  they  dis 
posed  of  the  Chinese  guard  on  duty  on  the  bridge  imme 
diately  outside  the  Tung  Pien  gate,  and  then  blew  a  hole  in 
the  gate  itself  with  their  guns.  They  then  mounted  on  the 
Tartar  Wall. 

Up  to  this  time  the  opposition  they  had  encountered  had 
been  very  slight,  which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  the  Chinese  were  so  briskly  engaged  at  the  time  in 
an  attack  upon  the  Legations  that  the  proceedings  of  the 
Russians  had  really  been  unnoticed.  About  this  time, 


THE   CAPTURE    OF   PEKIN  309 

however,  the  moon  rose,  bringing  into  relief  the  Russians 
moving  on  the  wall.  Immediately  a  desperate  fire  was  opened 
upon  them.  Nearly  all  the  horses  with  the  guns  were  at  once 
killed,  and  the  infantry,  taking  their  places,  dragged  the  gung 
back  to  shelter,  near  the  point  where  they  had  entered  the 
city.  Urgent  demands  for  reinforcements  were  then  sent  to 
the  main  body  of  the  Russian  force.  The  refusal  of  the 
Japanese  to  take  part  in  the  affair,  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
the  result  of  a  breach  of  the  arrangement  arrived  at  by  the 
allied  commanders,  paralyzed  the  action  of  the  Russian  gen 
eral,  and  it  was  not  until  ten  o'clock  on  the  following  morn 
ing  that  reinforcements  arrived. 

In  the  meantime  the  detachment  had  been  exposed  to  a 
continuous  and  heavy  fire,  and  had  been  obliged  to  sally  out 
to  defeat  a  force  which  advanced  with  the  intention  of  taking 
them  in  rear.  .The  attack,  although  made  contrary  to  the 
agreement,  was  of  great  advantage  to  the  Legations,  for  a 
furious  onslaught  had  been  made  upon  them  with  the  evi 
dent  intention  of  destroying  them  before  the  allies  attacked 
the  city,  and  therefore  releasing  the  whole  of  the  Chinese 
force  for  the  purposes  of  defence.  As  soon,  however,  as  the 
Chinese  learned  that  the  Russians  had  entered  the  gate,  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  force  round  the  Legation  was 
withdrawn  to  oppose  their  advance,  and  from  that  moment 
the  fury  of  the  assault  abated  considerably. 

The  British  had  met  with  but  slight  resistance.  Their 
main  body  had  left  Tung-Chow  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  fourteenth.  When  within  a  mile  of  the  southeast 
gate,  they  bombarded  a  village  and  drove  the  enemy  holding 
it  into  the  town,  and  then  advancing  they  entered  the 
Chinese  city,  and  pushed  on  until  they  reached  the  Chien 
gate  of  the  Tartar  Wall.  Here  they  were  welcomed  by 
the  allied  troops  holding  the  wall  near  the  gate. 


310  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

They  could  not,  however,  let  them  in,  and  for  a  short  time 
the  British  force  were  exposed  to  a  galling  fire  from  the 
Chinese  city  and  from  other  parts  of  the  wall.  The  British, 
however,  knew  of  the  water  gate  which  opens  into  the  canal, 
running  up  between  the  Russian  and  British  Legations  and 
the  Fu,  having  received  news  that  it  was  likely  to  be  un 
guarded,  by  a  messenger  sent  out  by  Sir  Claude  Macdonald. 
General  Gaselee,  therefore,  taking  with  him  the  7th  Rajputs 
and  a  party  of  the  1st  Sikhs,  made  a  dash  for  this  gate,  and 
got  through  without  much  trouble. 

The  Chinese,  never  dreaming  that  an  attack  would  be  made 
on  that  side  of  the  city,  had  not  placed  a  strong  force  there, 
and  as  soon  as  General  Gaselee  had  entered  by  the  water  gate, 
a  party  of  Americans  and  Russians  was  able  without  much 
difficulty  to  seize  the  Chien  Men,  and  so  admit  the  main 
body  of  the  British  force,  who  were  waiting  there  to  enter. 

The  loss  sustained  altogether  by  the  allies  was  small  in 
comparison  with  what  might  have  been  anticipated  in  cap 
turing  a  town  very  strongly  fortified  and  defended  by  a 
garrison  of  courageous  men.  The  Japanese  lost  about  two 
hundred  killed  and  wounded,  the  Russians  a  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  killed  and  wounded,  the  Americans,  who  with 
the  French  entered  the  city  immediately  after  the  Russians, 
twenty-four  killed  and  wounded,  while  the  British  had  but 
half  a  dozen  casualties. 

Rex  slept  soundly  for  three  hours,  and  was  then  aroused 
by  the  din  going  on  around  him.  When  he  started  up  he 
found  that,  in  addition  to  the  crowd  who  had  occupied  the 
place  during  the  siege,  numbers  of  soldiers — Sikhs,  Rajputs, 
and  Welsh  Fusiliers,  Royal  Marine  Infantry,  and  sailors, 
were  moving  about.  Scattered  among  them  were  a  few  men 
of  other  nationalities  who  had  missed  their  columns  during 
the  night  and  had  straggled  in.  Officers  and  men  alike  were 


THE   CAPTURE   OF    TEKIN  311 

endeavouring,  with  the  scanty  amount  of  water  at  their 
disposal,  to  get  rid  of  the  dust  gathered  during  the  two 
preceding  days.  All  were  talking  and  laughing  in  the  high 
est  glee  at  the  satisfactory  conclusion  of  their  work.  Most  of 
them,  like  Eex,  had  slept  on  the  ground,  for  it  was  impos 
sible  to  find  quarters  in  the  already  crowded  houses. 

Giving  himself  a  shake  as  a  substitute  for  a  wash  he  went 
across  to  the  hospital.  One  of  the  nurses  came  to  the  door. 

"  You  are  too  early,  Mr.  Bateman,"  she  said.  "  Your 
cousins  did  not  go  to  bed  till  half-past  two,  and  we  cannot 
think  of  waking  them  till  eight.  Fortunately  not  many 
wounded  were  brought  in  with  the  troops,  and  almost  all  our 
patients  have  benefited  so  greatly  by  the  arrival  of  our 
friends  that  we  are  likely  to  have  a  quiet  day  of  it.  We  did 
not  tell  your  eldest  cousin  last  night;  we  thought  it  best  not 
to  do  so.  They  heard,  of  course,  that  you  did  not  come  in. 
with  the  British,  but  one  of  the  officers  whom  we  questioned 
about  it  said  that  you  were  with  the  Japs,  and  would  no 
doubt  arrive  with  them.  Your  own  arrival  was  the  first  in 
timation  we  had  that  the  Japs  had  come  in,  so  it  was  much 
better  to  let  your  cousin  go  quietly  to  sleep.  Had  she  known 
that  you  were  here  she  wyould  have  been  wanting  to  see  you, 
and  to  hear  all  about  your  doings." 

"Thank  you!  "  said  Kex;  "  it  was  much  the  best  way.  I 
should  not  have  thought  of  coming  in  last  night,  but  I  feared 
that  they  would  be  uneasy  when  they  found  that  I  did  not 
arrive  with  the  British.  Of  course  on  the  way  up  I  spoke  to 
several  of  the  officers  who  had  been  with  Seymour's  expedi 
tion,  but  the  chances  are  that  none  of  them  would  come  your 
way.  Well,  I  will  go  to  my  friends  at  the  college." 

He  was  received  quite  joyously  by  the  young  men  he 
knew,  and  as  he  had  only  eaten  a  biscuit  on  the  previous  day, 
some  cold  food  was  at  once  placed  before  him. 


312  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

"  We  have  been  out  of  meat  for  some  time,"  said  Sandwich; 
"  only  about  half  a  dozen  mules  are  left  alive,  and  they  are  so 
desperately  thin  that  it  would  be  useless  to  kill  them;  one 
might  as  well  try  to  make  soup  out  of  a  clothes-horse.  Here, 
however,  is  bread  and  rice  and  some  jam.  During  the  am 
nesty  we  managed  to  buy  a  good  many  things,  and  among 
them  six  pots  of  jam.  This  is  the  last  pot,  so  you  see  we  are 
treating  you  royally." 

"  Rice  and  jam  are  not  to  be  despised,  only  I  hope  there  is 
enough  rice.  I  should  be  sorry  to  place  any  limit  to  the 
powers  of  my  appetite  just  at  present." 

"  Well,  you  can  eat  as  much  as  you  like,  but  eat  quickly, 
for  we  want  to  know  about  everything.  We  have  only  heard 
that  there  was  very  little  fighting  on  the  way  up,  and  that 
the  Japs  did  the  principal  part  of  it." 

"  Yes,  and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  see  it  all,  for  I  came 
up  as  interpreter  to  their  head-quarter  staff.  I  can  tell  you 
in  very  few  words  about  our  march  up  here;  the  principal 
event  was  the  fighting  yesterday.  But  I  must  finish  eating 
before  I  begin  talking  about  that." 

After  he  had  made  a  good  meal  Eex  gave  them  a  full 
account  of  the  storming  of  the  gate  by  the  Japanese.  When 
he  finished,  Sandwich  said :  "  Now,  tell  us  how  it  is  that 
they  have  been  such  a  tremendous  time  in  relieving  us,  and 
also  what  has  happened  at  Tientsin." 

"  The  first  question  is  easy  enough  to  answer.  All  the 
generals  made  up  their  minds  that  the  Legations  had  been 
captured  and  the  whole  lot  of  you  massacred,  and  it  was  not 
until  a  despatch  came  down  from  Conger  about  ten  days 
before  we  started,  that  they  really  woke  up  in  earnest.  But 
nothing  had  worked  smoothly  since  the  day  when  they  came 
up  to  relieve  Tientsin.  We  and  the  Japs  and  the  Americans 
got  on  capitally  together,  but  the  others  were  always  raising 


THE    CAPTURE    OF    PEKIN"  313 

difficulties,  especially  the  Russians.  The  general  opinion 
among  us  was  that  they  were  playing  a  double  game." 

"  In  what  way,   Bateman  ?  " 

"  Well,  that  I  really  cannot  tell  you.  Certainly  their 
generals  altogether  opposed  the  march  up,  and  it  was  only 
when  Gaselee  and  Chaffee  declared  that  they  would  go  alone, 
if  none  of  the  others  would  accompany  them,  that  the  Rus 
sians  had  to  give  way.  It  was  generally  believed  that  they 
wanted  in  some  way  to  pose  as  friends  of  China,  and  on  the 
strength  of  that  to  get  concessions  and  that  sort  of  thing, 
and  especially  to  obtain  from  China  the  concession  of  the 
whole  of  Manchuria.  I  have  no  doubt  they  will  try  on  that 
game  now,  when  things  settle  down  again,  unless  the  other 
Powers  back  up  China." 

"  It  is  a  rum  state  of  things  altogether,"  Sandwich  said. 

"  Well,  tell  us  all  about  Tientsin." 

"  To  begin  with,  then,  Tientsin  and  the  settlements  have  to 
a  large  extent  ceased  to  exist." 

"  What  ?  Was  the  fighting  so  severe  as  that  ?  We  have 
heard  nothing  whatever  about  it." 

"  Yes,  it  was  very  severe.  As  far  as  actual  fighting  went, 
you  were  not  in  it  here  at  all.  For  eight  or  nine  days  we 
were  bombarded  by  any  number  of  guns.  The  French  settle 
ment,  which  was  nearest  to  the  enemy,  may  be  said  to  have 
been  completely  destroyed,  the  cathedral  and  mission-houses 
burned,  and  the  rest  of  the  houses  practically  knocked  to 
pieces.  Our  quarters  were  pounded  pretty  heavily,  but  not 
to  the  same  extent.  We  were  exposed  to  a  continuous  fire 
from  the  ruins  of  the  Chinese  college  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  and  from  all  the  houses  that  remained  on  that  side. 
Of  course  we  had  barricades  erected  at  the  ends  of  all  the 
streets,  but  nevertheless  it  was  not  altogether  pleasant  to 
walk  about  in  the  showers  of  bullets  and  shot  and  shell  which 


314  WITH   THE    ALLIES    TO    PEKIN 

came  practically  from  all  directions.  The  hottest  fighting 
was  at  the  railway-station,  where  it  went  on  night  and  day. 

"  Well,  when  large  reinforcements  came  up,  we  took  the 
offensive.  The  Russians  and  French  did  not  do  much,  but 
the  Japs,  the  Americans,  and  our  fellows  had  some  very  hard 
work.  At  the  end  of  the  first  day  things  looked  pretty  bad. 
We  were  established  in  the  suburb  outside  the  town,  but 
farther  than  that  we  could  not  get,  and  indeed  there  was  some 
question  whether  we  should  not  fall  back  after  dark.  This, 
however,  was  negatived,  but  that  it  should  have  been  even 
proposed  showed  that  we  were  really  in  a  tight  place.  For 
tunately,  during  the  night  the  same  question  was  discussed 
by  the  Chinese,  and  they  concluded  that  as  it  was  evident  that 
we  did  not  intend  to  go  they  had  better  do  so,  and  the 
greater  portion  of  them  accordingly  marched  away.  In  the 
morning  we  carried  the  gate  between  us,  the  Japs  doing  most 
of  the  fighting,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  in,  the  Chinese  bolted 
like  sheep. 

"  We  found  that  our  artillery  fire  had  been  most  destruc 
tive  in  the  town,  and  that  a  large  portion  of  the  place  was  in 
ruins.  This,  however,  was  principally  the  work  of  the 
Chinese  themselves,  who,  during  the  first  stage  of  the  affair, 
acted  like  madmen.  No  one  knows  how  many  of  the  people 
suspected  of  being  friendly  to  us  were  massacred ;  some  put  it 
at  tens  of  thousands.  At  any  rate,  it  was  a  great  many  thou 
sands,  and  the  river  was  literally  full  of  corpses.  Besides 
killing  these  people  they  sacked  and  set  fire  to  their  houses, 
and  this  way  an  enormous  amount  of  damage  was  done. 

"  The  allies,  it  must  be  confessed,  did  a  lot  of  looting.  The 
Japs,  all  agreed,  behaved  best;  we  and  the  Americans  very 
fairly;  but  the  Russians,  who  had  done  practically  nothing 
towards  the  taking  of  the  town,  acted  in  a  most  brutal  way. 
Moreover,  they  actually  wanted  one  of  their  number  ap- 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  PEKIN  315 

pointed  governor.  Fortunately,  the  other  Powers  would  not 
agree  to  this,  and  in  the  end  a  commission  of  three — a  Rus 
sian,  a  Jap,  and  an  Englishman — were  appointed  to  manage 
things.  A  lot  of  the  Chinese  were  enlisted  as  policemen,  and 
in  a  day  or  two  the  place,  which  was  littered  with  dead,  was 
got  into  some  sort  of  order.  If  this  had  not  been  done,  there 
certainly  would  have  been  a  pestilence." 

"  But  what  about  Seymour's  force  ? " 

"  They  had  to  fight  their  way  back,  and  were  getting  into 
great  straits  for  provisions,  when,  luckily  enough,  by  a  sudden 
attack,  they  captured  the  arsenal  of  Hsi-Ku,  five  miles  north 
of  the  native  town.  Here  they  found  a  tremendous  quantity 
of  weapons  and  stores,  and  a  big  supply  of  rice,  and  although 
the  Chinese  tried  to  recapture  the  place,  they  were  able  to 
hold  it  without  much  difficulty  until,  when  the  reinforce- 
mento  came  up  from  the  sea,  a  strong  body  went  out  and  re 
lieved  them.  They  could  hardly  have  fought  their  way  down 
without  aid,  for  they  had  some  hundreds  of  wounded,  and  a 
large  number  of  the  fighting-men  would  have  been  required 
to  carry  them." 

"  And  how  about  the  capture  of  the  Taku  Forts  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you  all  about  that  later.  Of  course,  1 
did  not  see  that ;  we  were  cut  off  from  the  sea  for  some  days." 

"  And  what  were  you  doing  all  that  time  ?  " 

"  I  joined  the  volunteers — every  able-bodied  man  did  so — 
and  helped  in  beating  off  several  attacks  on  the  barrier.  I 
also  had  a  part  in  some  of  the  fighting  at  the  railway-station, 
which  was  about  the  hottest  thing  in  the  whole  affair ;  indeed, 
we  were  only  saved  by  the  fortunate  arrival  of  a  party  of 
Sikhs  who  came  out  to  take  the  place  of  the  garrison,  and 
even  with  their  aid  it  was  a  close  thing,  for  the  Boxers  fought 
with  the  greatest  pluck,  and  even  crossed  bayonets  with  us. 

"  But  there,  I  have  given  you  now  a  rough  account  of  it 


316  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

all;  details  will  follow  later.  Here  is  your  breakfast  coming 
in.  I  want  to  take  a  turn  round  and  see  how  matters  stood  up 
to  the  time  when  we  arrived,  and  after  that  I  am  going  to  see 
my  cousins.  I  was  going  to  say  I  suppose  you  will  be  all  off 
duty  now,  but  I  hear  that  the  firing  has  broken  out  again. 
That  shows  that  although  we  have  got  in,  the  Chinese  have 
not  got  out,  and  may  give  us  more  trouble  before  we  have 
done  with  them.  By  the  way,  what  has  become  of  the 
Empress  ? " 

"  She  bolted  three  days  ago  when  she  heard,  I  fancy,  that 
you  had  taken  Tung-Chow.  I  don't  know  whether  it  would 
be  wise  to  send  a  force  in  pursuit  of  her,  considering  that  the 
town  is  still  full  of  Chinese  troops  and  that  there  is  so  much 
to  be  done  here.  Besides,  though  she  has  a  tremendous  train 
of  baggage  with  her,  it  would  take  some  days'  march  for 
infantry  to  catch  her,  and  it  would  be  a  risky  thing  for  our 
small  force  of  cavalry  to  go  alone,  as  of  course  she  has  taken 
a  considerable  body  of  troops  with  her." 

"Yes,  I  don't  think  they  will  pursue  her,"  Hex  said. 
"  There  must  be  someone  for  us  to  treat  with,  and  if  we  were 
to  take  her  prisoner  it  is  pretty  certain  that,  directly  we  had 
gone,  she  would  repudiate  any  treaty  she  might  make,  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  obtained  from  her  by  force.  The  Chinese 
never  hold  to  treaties,  and  this  would  afford  them  so  excellent 
an  excuse  for  breaking  one  that  the  agreement  would  hardly 
be  worth  the  paper  it  was  written  on." 

"  Well,  I  shall  come  back  about  ten  o'clock,  and  then,  before 
I  give  you  any  details  of  what  I  have  seen,  I  shall  expect 
you  to  give  me  a  full  account  of  all  that  has  taken  place  here 
since  I  went  away." 

Rex  now  went  to  the  hospital  again.  A  nurse  went  to 
inform  the  girls  of  his  arrival,  and  almost  immediately  they 
came  flying  out. 


THE    CAPTURE    OF   PEON  317 

"  We  are  glad  to  see  you  again,  Hex,"  Jenny  said ;  "  we 
have  been  in  dreadful  anxiety  about  you.  When  you  went 
away  we  had  110  idea  that  it  would  be  so  dreadfully  long 
before  you  came  back." 

"  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  myself,"  he  said,  "  but  it  has 
certainly  not  been  my  fault  that  I  did  not  get  back  sooner.  I 
can  assure  you  that  I  have  been  quite  as  anxious  about  you  as 
you  can  have  been  about  me." 

"  We  were  so  dreadfully  disappointed  yesterday  when  the 
troops  came  in,  to  find  that  you  were  not  with  them.  We 
asked  a  good  many  officers,  but  only  one  knew  anything  about 
you,  and  he  said  that  you  were  with  the  Japanese." 

"  Yes,  that  was  so.  It  would  have  been  very  difficult  for 
me  to  get  leave  to  come  with  my  own  people,  but  the  Japanese 
were  glad  of  an  extra  interpreter.  Now,  how  have  you  been 
all  the  time?" 

"  We  have  been  very  well  on  the  whole.  Of  course  we  are 
both  thinner,  for  recently  rations  have  had  to  be  reduced  very 
much ;  we  have  had  no  meat  for  the  past  fortnight,  and  not  a 
great  deal  of  anything  else.  At  the  same  time  we  have  been 
kept  very  busy,  for  the  number  of  wounded  has  been  large; 
but  we  were  very  glad  to  be  fully  employed,  for  it  was  much 
better  to  be  working  here  than  to  have  nothing  to  do  but 
make  bags  to  hold  earth  and  sand." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that.  The  students  were  telling 
me  that  it  was  terribly  tedious  when  they  had  nothing  to  do. 
Certainly  they  were  called  out  to  aid  the  guard  at  the  barriers, 
when  these  were  heavily  attacked,  but  often  two  or  three 
days  passed  without  their  being  summoned." 

"  And  how  are  Uncle  and  Aunt,  Rex  ?  "  asked  Jenny. 

"  They  are  both  well.  They  have  been  besieged  just  as  you 
were  here,  and  there  was  very  hard  fighting.  The  settle 
ment  indeed  was  very  much  knocked  about,  but  fortunately, 


318  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKJN 

in  spite  of  the  severe  shelling,  hardly  any  lives  were 
lost. 

"  We  can  come  out  with  you  now  for  an  hour,"  said  Jenny, 
"  and  then  you  can  tell  us  all  about  it,  and  what  prevented 
the  army  from  coming  up  to  help  us." 

The  girls  put  on  their  hats  and  the  three  sallied  forth.  As 
they  walked  about,  Rex  gave  them  a  graphic  account  of  the 
fighting  at  Tientsin. 

"  And  has  Ah  Lo  come  up  with  you,  Rex  ?  " 

"  Certainly  he  has.  I  should  as  soon  have  thought  of  com 
ing  without  a  hat  as  without  him.  He  is  a  splendid  fellow, 
and  I  have  got  so  accustomed  to  his  company  that  I  really 
don't  know  what  I  should  do  without  him." 

"  It  is  time  for  us  to  go  back,"  Jenny  said  at  last.  "  We 
shall  be  off  duty  this  afternoon  at  three,  and  to-morrow  or 
next  day  we  shall  leave  the  hospital,  for  most  of  the  wounded 
are  convalescent,  and  unless  there  is  tough  fighting  the  hos 
pital  will  empty  fast,  especially  now  that  we  can  get  fresh 
fruit  and  meat  and  other  things  for  the  patients." 

Rex  returned  to  the  room  occupied  by  the  students,  and 
there  he  found  Sandwich  waiting  for  him. 

"  I  am  feeling  like  a  fish  out  of  water,  Bateman,"  his 
friend  said.  "  After  being  in  readiness  for  the  past  two 
months  to  snatch  up  our  rifles  at  any  moment  and  run  out 
to  repel  an  attack,  it  seems  strange  indeed  that  we  can 
ramble  about  without  any  fixed  duty,  and  that  our  military 
work  is  over.  Now,  then,  I  will  give  you  an  account  of 
what  has  happened  here  since  you  left.  I  have  kept  a 
journal  ever  since  the  siege  began,  so  that  I  can  tell  you  how 
everything  was  done  in  its  right  order. 

"  Nothing  came  of  the  letters  sent  in  by  Prince  Ching. 
It  was  soon  evident  that  the  war  party  were  supreme  again, 
and  the  fighting  went  on  as  usual.  One  prisoner,  who  was  taken 


THE    CAPTURE   OF   PEKIN  319 

the  day  after  you  left,  said  that  the  Empress  had  issued  an 
edict  explaining  that  the  firing  of  large  guns  was  a  dangerous 
practice  and  liable  to  do  much  mischief,  and  she  therefore 
ordered  the  troops  to  confine  themselves  to  the  use  of  rifles 
only.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  curious  edict  was 
issued,  and  it  was  supposed  to  have  been  the  result  of  repre 
sentations  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  damage  inflicted  by  their 
gun  fire.  No  doubt  this  was  very  extensive,  for  their  fire  was 
always  high  and  every  shot  that  flew  over  the  Legations  must 
have  fallen  in  the  city  and  inflicted  damage  there.  At  any 
rate  there  was  much  less  firing  afterwards,  and  although  the 
shells  did  not  inflict  any  very  great  damage  here,  it  was  a 
relief  to  be  free  of  them.  The  gun,  however,  that  was  being 
worked  against  the  defenders  of  the  Fu,  distant  only  about 
fifty  yards,  continued  to  do  great  damage,  and  one  night  the 
attack  of  the  Chinese  was  so  fierce  that  the  Italian  guard 
posted  between  the  British  and  Japanese  retired,  and  had  the 
Chinese  taken  advantage  of  the  movement  both  the  Japs  and 
ourselves  would  have  been  cut  off  and  the  Fu  altogether 
lost. 

"  Next  day  the  attack  was  renewed  with  great  vigour,  both 
on  the  defenders  of  the  Fu  and  on  the  French  Legation.  At 
the  latter  place  two  explosions  took  place,  the  enemy  having 
driven  mines  under  it.  The  French  were  forced  to  retire  from 
the  main  building,  but  held  entrenchments  that  they  had 
prepared  behind  it.  At  the  same  time  the  Chinese  made  a 
desperate  attempt  to  force  their  way  into  the  German  Lega 
tion.  They  did  actually  break  into  the  club  and  set  it  on  fire, 
but  were  driven  back  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  The  fire, 
however,  spread,  and  there  was  great  danger  that  the  defence 
would  be  forced.  The  alarm-bell  was  rung  here,  the  gates 
were  shut,  and  everyone  stood  at  his  post.  The  attack  was 
maintained  with  fury  till  eight  in  the  evening,  then  it  gradu- 


S20  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ally  ceased,  and  when  the  enemy  retired  they  left  the  French 
and  Germans  still  holding  the  remains  of  their  Legations. 
All  night  the  French  Legation  continued  to  burn,  and  the 
coolies  in  the  Fu  worked  unceasingly  to  extinguish  the 
flames. 

"  The  next  day  letters  were  received  from  Ching  urging 
that  the  Europeans  should  all  leave  the  Legations  and  go  to 
the  yamen.  The  proposition  was  so  absurd  that  a  refusal,  of 
course  in  polite  terms,  was  sent,  as  even  had  the  Europeans 
been  inclined  to  trust  themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the  Chinese, 
they  would  have  been  obliged  to  abandon  the  native  Chris 
tians  under  their  protection. 

"  On  the  sixteenth  another  communication  arrived  from 
Ching.  The  night  passed  quietly.  In  the  morning  two 
Chinese  presented  themselves  at  the  German  Legation.  Both 
said  they  had  come  to  enquire  what  we  meant  to  do,  and  to 
ask  if  the  Foreign  Chinese  Secretary  would  go  out  to  discuss 
matters  with  the  generals.  They  explained  that  orders  had 
come  to  cease  firing  on  the  Legations,  and  the  bugler  said 
that  General  Nieh  had  been  defeated  between  Taku  and 
Tientsin  and  had  committed  suicide. 

"  An  answer  was  sent  that  we  did  not  propose  to  fire  without 
cause,  but  that  we  could  not  allow  the  Chinese  to  continue  to 
build  barricades,  as  they  had  been  doing  ever  since  the  first 
message  from  Prince  Ching  reached  us.  While  these  letters 
were  being  exchanged,  Chinese  soldiers  kept  coming  up  to 
the  barricade  unarmed  and  professing  friendship.  A  French 
volunteer  was  foolish  enough  to  get  over  a  barricade  and  go 
out.  He  had  better  luck  than  he  deserved,  for  he  was  taken 
to  Jung  Lu's  head-quarters,  where  he  was  well  treated.  He 
was  closely  questioned  as  to  the  state  of  things  in  the  Lega 
tion,  and  said,  in  reply,  that  we  were  having  a  first-rate  time, 
enjoying  ourselves  greatly,  and  wanted  nothing  but  fresh 


THE    CAPTURE    OF    PEKIN  321 

fruit.     The  Chinese  thereupon  gave  him  some  melons  and 
peaches  and  sent  him  back. 

"  Now  I  think  I  must  stop  for  ten  minutes  and  wet  my 
whistle.  I  have  not  had  as  much  experience  as  you  in  relat 
ing  adventures,  and  I  find  this  continuous  talking  somewhat 
trying." 


CHAPTEK  XVII 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  SIEGE 

A  FTER  a  short  rest  Sandwich  continued  his  story. 
-*-*-  "  All  day  the  Chinese  kept  coming  up  to  our  barricade. 
Many  of  them  got  upon  the  roofs  of  the  houses  near  and 
called  out  to  us  professing  friendship,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  put  up  sign-boards,  warning  them  in  Chinese  against  ap 
proaching  too  near  to  our  outposts.  Evidently  the  soldiers 
themselves  believed  that  there  was  an  end  to  fighting,  for 
some  of  them  actually  sold  their  rifles  and  ammunition  to  the 
Japanese  at  fifteen  dollars  apiece.  Letters  again  passed  be 
tween  us  and  the  Chinese.  Mr.  Conger  was  allowed  to  send 
out  a  message  in  cypher.  He  said  that  we  had  been  besieged 
over  a  month,  and  that,  unless  strong  measures  were  taken 
at  once,  we  were  all  in  danger  of  being  massacred." 

"Well,  that  message  really  did  get  through,"  Hex  said. 
"  It  was  the  first  positive  information  that  was  received  in 
Tientsin  that  the  Legations  still  held  out.  So  convinced 
were  the  military  authorities  that  the  Legations  had  fallen 
that  there  was  no  talk  of  sending  a  relief  party,  and  it  was 
proposed  to  wait  till  an  army  forty  thousand  or  fifty  thousand 
strong  was  collected.  However,  the  receipt  of  Conger's  mes 
sage  made  a  great  stir,  and,  as  I  told  you,  Gaselee  and 
Chaffee  said  that  the  English  and  Americans  would  go  on 
whether  the  others  did  or  not,  with  the  result  that  things  were 
really  pushed  on  in  earnest  from  that  moment." 

"  The  generals  had  no  idea  of  the  stuff  we  were  made  of," 


THE    STORY    OF   THE    SIEGE  323 

said  Sandwich.  "  However,  to  continue  my  story.  The 
Chinese  now  requested  that  the  foreign  troops  should  stop 
hostilities  and  abandon1  the  Tartar  Wall.  To  this  Sir  Claude 
Macdonald  replied  by  a  recital  of  the  events  of  the  past 
month,  and  said  that  he  could  not  retire  from  the  wall,  as 
the  Chinese  had  repeatedly  used  it  as  a  vantage-ground  from 
which  to  attack  us.  He  repeated  his  assurance  that  the 
Chinese  would  not  be  fired  upon  unless  they  first  attacked  us, 
and  he  added  a  request  that  vendors  of  fruit  and  ice  should 
be  granted  leave  to  sell  their  wares  to  us. 

"  We  had  all  still  very  great  doubts  as  to  whether  this  state 
of  things  would  continue,  and  the  next  morning  there  was  a 
general  expectation  that  fighting  would  again  begin.  The 
Chinese  soldiers,  however,  fearlessly  approached  our  barri 
cades,  showing  an  absolute  confidence  that  we  should  observe 
the  truce.  One  of  their  wounded  soldiers  actually  came  in 
and  had  his  wound  dressed  by  the  foreign  doctor." 

"  During  the  day  a  secretary  arrived  from  the  yamen  to  in 
terview7  the  Ministers.  He  was  received  outside  the  gate.  He 
said  that  the  government  wished  to  protect  foreigners,  and 
that  the  German  Minister's  body  had  been  recovered  from 
the  hands  of  those  people  who  had  murdered  him  and  en 
closed  in  a  valuable  coffin. 

"  On  that  day  a  Chinaman  who  had  been  sent  into  the 
city  returned  with  the  news  that  General  Xieh  was  dead, 
and  that  on  July  14th  the  foreign  troops  took  the  native 
city  at  Tientsin.  This  news  was  duly  posted.  Xo  doubt  was 
felt  that  the  armistice  was  the  result  of  the  capture  of  Tien 
tsin.  That  completely  explained  matters.  It  had  evidently 
been  regarded  as  certain  that  the  Chinese  troops  at  Tientsin 
would  be  able  to  hold  that  city  against  all  attacks,  and  pre 
vent  any  foreign  troops  from  moving  up  towards  Pekin.  It 
must  have  been  a  frightful  blow  to  them  to  learn  that  a 


324  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

place  which  they  considered  impregnable  had  been  captured 
after  but  one  day's  fighting.  It  must  have  been  an  awful 
facer  for  Prince  Tung  and  the  war  party,  and  Ching  and  the 
moderates  had  evidently  again  come  to  the  front. 

"  The  armistice  continued.  A  few  Chinese  came  in  every 
day  with  eggs  to  sell,  which  they  generally  brought  hidden 
in  their  clothes,  declaring  that  some  people  had  been  beheaded 
for  dealing  with  us.  As,  however,  they  continued  to  come, 
this  was  considered  only  as  a  device  for  raising  the  price. 
The  eggs  were  a  great  boon  to  the  besieged,  for  many  of  the 
children  suffered  greatly  from  want  of  proper  nourishment. 
Twice  the  yamen  sent  in  a  present  of  fruit  and  vegetables. 
These  were  an  immense  treat,  and  were  divided  with  scru 
pulous  fairness.  Each  time  two  melons  fell  to  our  share,  and 
were  eaten  with  solemn  and  almost  religious  state.  It  was 
something  like  what  I  have  heard  takes  place  when  a  party 
of  connoisseurs  assemble  to  discuss  two  or  three  bottles  of 
Imperial  Tokay  of  a  famous  year. 

"  But  while  this  curious  interlude  lasted  occasional  shots 
were  fired  at  us,  and  several  men  were  wounded.  The 
Chinese,  moreover,  though  apparently  so  friendly,  continued 
to  strengthen  and  enlarge  their  barricades,  and  it  was  unsafe 
to  move  across  open  spaces  in  the  defended  quarter. 

"  Now  that  our  anxiety  on  our  own  account  had  lessened, 
we  had  time  to  think  of  the  defenders  of  the  French  cathedral. 
It  was  evident  that  the  armistice  that  we  were  enjoying  was 
not  shared  by  them,  for  from  time  to  time  we  could  hear  out 
bursts  of  distant  firing.  The  French  Minister  had  endeav 
oured  in  vain  to  communicate  with  his  countrymen,  and 
beyond  the  fact  that  they  still  held  out  we  knew  nothing. 
Meanwhile  letters  were  constantly  received  from  the  yamen, 
all  urging  us  to  leave  the  city  and  to  retire  to  Tientsin,  or 
at  least  to  give  up  the  Christian  refugees.  To  these  requests 


THE    STOKY   OF   THE   SIEGE  325 

answers  were  returned  in  language  of  the  greatest  moderation, 
explaining  the  difficulties  of  the  course,  pointing  out  that  the 
attacks  on  the  French  cathedral  continued,  and  that  shots 
were  frequently  fired  on  the  Legation;  never  positively  re 
fusing  to  do  as  the  Chinese  wished,  but  always  making  ex 
cuses  for  not  doing  so.  This  method  was  in  so  far  success 
ful  that  the  negotiations  were  kept  up  until  the  allied  army 
were  within  a  day's  march  of  the  city. 

"  On  July  27  the  yamen  tried  to  induce  the  Ministers  to  send 
all  the  Chinese  converts  out  of  the  Legations.  Pekin,  they 
said,  was  perfectly  peaceful,  and  as  so  large  a  number  of  con 
verts  crowded  into  so  small  a  space  in  the  hot  weather  must 
be  causing  us  considerable  inconvenience,  they  advised  that 
they  should  now  return  to  their  homes  in  peace  and  resume 
their  usual  occupations.  As  the  coolies,  however,  had  ren 
dered  invaluable  service  during  the  siege,  exposing  themselves 
frequently  to  danger  and  labouring  with  unwavering  zeal 
until  evidently  exhausted,  it  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  ques 
tion  that  they  could  be  abandoned,  and  the  chief  replied 
that  as  shots  were  still  fired  into  the  Legations,  and  the 
North  Cathedral  was  still  being  attacked,  he  could  not  under 
stand  the  assertions  of  the  yamen  that  it  would  be  safe  for 
the  Christians  to  leave  the  Legations,  and  asked  for  further 
information. 

"  The  time  passed  very  slowly  with  us.  Colonel  Shiba  had 
bribed  one  of  the  Imperial  guards  and  he  supplied  us  daily 
with  news,  which  afterwards  turned  out  to  be  a  pack  of  lies. 
On  July  26th  he  reported  that  the  allied  troops  had  reached 
Yang-Tsun  on  the  eighteenth,  and  that  on  the  twenty-fourth 
they  had  fought  a  battle  ten  miles  south  of  Tsai-Tsun  in 
which  the  Boxers  were  defeated.  On  the  twenty-fifth  the 
force  was  at  Ho-Hsi-Wu  and  had  fought  a  battle  lasting  five 
hours,  the  Chinese  losing  in  killed  and  wounded  twelve 


326  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

hundred  men.  Reports  on  the  twenty-seventh  confirmed 
that  news  and  said  that  there  was  a  panic  at  Tung-Chow. 
All  this  of  course  caused  a  lot  of  excitement,  but  on  the 
twenty-eighth  a  rumour  spread  through  the  Legations  that 
a  messenger  had  arrived  with  a  letter  from  the  British 
Consul  at  Tientsin.  Of  course  everyone  went  to  the  Bell 
Tower  to  hear  the  contents  of  this  letter.  It  said  that 
twenty-four  thousand  troops  had  landed  and  that  there  were 
nineteen  thousand  at  Tientsin,  that  the  Boxer  power  had 
exploded  there  and  that  there  were  plenty  of  troops  on  the 
way  if  we  could  keep  ourselves  in  food.  You  never  saw 
such  a  mad  crowd  as  were  assembled  on  that  tower.  Here 
were  we  expecting  to  be  relieved  in  two  or  three  days,  and 
now  no  one  could  say  when  the  relief  would  arrive.  The 
abuse  poured  on  the  British  consul  was  absolutely  unbounded. 
We  afterwards  learned  that  we  had  reasons  to  be  grateful 
rather  than  the  reverse.  Had  he  told  us  the  truth,  that  the 
officers  at  Tientsin  were  at  that  moment  actually  discussing 
whether  it  was  possible  to  make  any  advance  until  the  rainy 
season  was  over,  had  he  sent  this  news,  there  is  no  saying 
what  would  have  happened.  The  disappointment  would  have 
been  so  great  that  we  should  probably  have  attempted  some 
desperate  action,  with  the  result  that  all  the  Europeans 
would  have  been  massacred  and  also  the  Christian  Chinese, 
to  whom  the  handful  of  fighting-men  available  would  have 
been  absolutely  unable  to  afford  protection.  Fortunately, 
however,  we  did  not  know  this,  and  spent  our  indignation 
upon  the  unfortunate  consul,  who,  I  hope,  is  none  the  worse 
for  the  objurgations  heaped  upon  his  head. 

"  But  though  the  disappointment  was  great,  the  news  woke 
us  up,  and  an  order  was  at  once  issued  for  every  household  to 
send  in  a  list  of  all  the  stores  in  its  possession,  of  tea,  sugar, 
white  rice,  and  other  luxuries.  Up  to  that  time,  as  you 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    SIEGE  327 

know,  only  rice,  flour,  and  meat  had  been  supplied  from  the 
general  store,  every  household  having  used  what  it  had  col 
lected  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege. 

"  On  the  same  day  the  Chinese  government  issued  an  edict 
condemning  two  of  the  progressive  members  of  the  yameii  to 
death.  There  was  some  fighting  also,  the  Chinese  persisting 
in  erecting  barricades  across  the  north  bridge,  which  enabled 
them  to  enfilade  the  canal.  We  did  not  succeed  in  prevent 
ing  them  from  doing  this.  All  sorts  of  rumours  came  in,  but 
what  they  all  meant  no  one  could  tell;  some  of  the  reports 
were  of  the  wildest  nature.  The  only  certain  news  we  got 
was  that  portions  of  the  regular  army  had  left,  to  aid  in  re 
pulsing  the  relief  column.  Another  effort  was  made  by  the 
Chinese  to  get  Sir  Robert  Hart  to  telegraph  to  reassure  the 
Foreign  Minister  as  to  the  situation  in  Pekin.  This  he  re 
fused  to  do,  as  such  reassuring  news  might  induce  them  to 
pause  before  sending  out  a  relief  force.  On  the  1st  of 
August  Colonel  Shiba  received  a  letter  from  Tientsin  which 
changed  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs.  It  was  dated  Tientsin, 
and  said  that  the  advance  of  the  troops  was  delayed  by  diffi 
culties  of  transport,  but  that  the  start  would  be  made  in  two 
or  three  days. 

"  During  all  this  time  we  had  not  been  idle.  We  had 
strengthened  the  wall  round  the  Legation  and  had  dug  a 
deep  trench  inside  the  west  wall,  to  cut  any  mines  that  the 
Chinese  might  attempt  to  drive  from  that  quarter.  We 
omitted  one  spot,  however — the  kitchen  of  the  students'  mess 
—  and  it  was  precisely  at  this  spot  that  the  Chinese  afterwards 
drove  a  mine.  One  of  the  customs  staff  declared  that  he 
heard  men  digging  in  that  quarter,  but  no  one  believed  him, 
Another  defensive  measure  was  the  occupying  and  barri 
cading  of  the  ruins  of  the  houses  on  the  Legation  side  of  the 
market.  A  mail  came  in  with  several  letters  on  the  2nd 


328  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

of  August.  The  reports  were  contradictory,  but  it  really 
seemed  that  the  column  was  at  last  starting.  The  supplies 
had  been  all  stopped  now  and  we  were  beginning  to  feel 
famine,  especially  the  Christian  Chinese,  who  were  fed  on  a 
mixture  of  a  little  grain,  chopped  straw,  and  other  fodder.  It 
was  a  very  bad  time.  Except  the  building  of  the  new  de 
fences  there  was  nothing  to  be  done.  A  good  deal  of  sharp- 
shooting  was  kept  up,  but  the  want  of  work  made  the  delay 
hard  to  bear.  The  nurses  were  now  suffering  from  sickness 
brought  on  from  overwork. 

"  At  five  o'clock  on  August  10th  a  messenger  arrived  bear 
ing  letters  from  General  Gaselee  to  Sir  Claude  and  from 
General  Fukushima  for  Colonel  Shiba.  Both  letters  were 
very  brief.  They  were  dated  August  8.  '  A  strong  force  of 
allies  is  advancing/  one  said,  '  twice  defeated  enemy.  Keep 
up  your  spirits.'  The  other  confirmed  this  news,  and  men 
tioned  the  thirteenth  or  fourteenth  as  the  probable  date  of 
their  arrival  at  Pekin. 

"  You  may  imagine  the  enthusiasm  that  this  news  excited. 
It  was  the  first  intimation  we  had  received  that  the  column 
had  left  Tientsin.  The  attacks  now  became  much  more  vigor 
ous,  and  on  the  eleventh  the  attack  on  the  French  and  Ger 
man  Legations  was  more  severe  than  anything  we  had  ex 
perienced.  The  attack  on  the  Mongol  Market  was  also  very 
warm.  And  all  the  time  this  was  going  on,  the  Chinese  gov 
ernment  were  writing  letters  complaining  of  the  attacks  made 
upon  them  by  the  defenders.  Towards  evening  the  firing 
became  even  more  furious;  there  was  a  general  call  to  arms, 
and  every  man  turned  out.  The  fusillade  died  away  a  little 
at  midnight.  At  half-past  two  the  boom  of  heavy  guns  and 
the  rattle  of  musketry  were  heard,  and  every  man  and  woman 
in  the  Legation  got  up  to  hear  the  welcome  sound  which  told 
that  the  relief  force  had  arrived  outside  the  city." 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    SIEGE  329 

"  The  enemy  then  made  a  last  desperate  attack.  Everyone 
rushed  to  his  post  again,  but  although  the  firing  was  tremen 
dous  and  we  could  hear  the  Chinese  officers  shouting  to  their 
men  to  charge,  nothing  came  of  it,  and  towards  morning  the 
fire  died  away  to  the  usual  desultory  sniping.  Everyone  re 
mained  in  a  state  of  expectancy  until,  as  you  know,  at  two 
o'clock  the  troops  made  their  entry.  There,  I  think,  Bateman, 
I  have  given  you  a  very  full  account,  and  shall  expect  as  de 
tailed  a  one  from  you." 

"  You  certainly  deserve  it,"  Rex  said  with  a  laugh,  and 
he  then  told  in  full  detail  the  story  of  his  entry  into  Tien 
tsin,  the  situation  there,  the  account  he  had  received  of  the 
taking  of  the  Taku  Forts,  the  defence  of  the  city,  the  capture 
of  Tientsin,  and  the  march  of  the  relief  column.  "  There," 
he  said  when  he  concluded,  "  I  think  we  have  both  a  pretty 
good  idea  of  what  has  taken  place  since  we  last  met.  Now 
I  must  go  out  and  see  for  myself  the  points  where  the  fighting 
has  been  fiercest."  Wandering  about,  Rex  learned  more  of  the 
fighting  of  the  past  two  days.  The  fire  kept  up  was  some 
thing  tremendous,  but  the  Chinese  troops  could  not  be  per 
suaded  to  leave  their  shelters.  Their  officers  in  vain  shouted : 
"  We  are  many,  they  are  a  mere  handful ;  come  on !  "  But  the 
soldiers  shouted  back  in  return :  "  Xo  good."  Every  word 
could  be  plainly  heard,  for  the  barricades  held  by  the  Customs 
volunteers  in  the  Mongol  Market  were  only  ten  or  fifteen 
yards  from  the  Chinese.  In  the  Fu  the  same  thing  was  going 
on.  Positions  held  by  the  Italians  and  Japs  were  each  of 
them  only  twenty  yards,  and  the  extreme  outpost  held  by 
Customs  volunteers  was  but  ten  yards,  from  the  Chinese 
barricades. 

In  the  Fu  they  had  hit  on  a  happy  expedient.  They  got  a 
huge  supply  of  empty  petroleum-tins,  and  when  the  Chinese 
attack  was  at  its  hottest,  they  set  the  Christian  Chinese  to 


330  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

hammer  on  them  with  sticks.  The  din  was  something  tre 
mendous,  and  the  Italians  added  to  it  with  wild  shouts. 
Astounded  at  this  terrible  uproar,  and  ignorant  of  what  new 
weapon  of  destruction  was  being  brought  against  them,  the 
Chinese  fire  dropped  at  once,  and  did  not  reopen  for  some 
time. 

In  the  Mongol  Market  five  Customs  volunteers  stood  behind 
their  loopholes,  close  up  to  the  Chinese  position,  and  as  they 
watched  the  Chinese  officers  trying  in  vain  to  urge  their  men 
forward,  they  chaffed  them  with  invitations  to  come  in  and 
see  the  place,  and  then,  when  they  did  not  come,  advised  them 
to  go  home  and  nurse  the  babies.  Nevertheless,  fighting  with 
the  enemy  both  in  the  Fu  and  in  the  Mongol  Market  was  a 
matter  of  grim  earnest.  If  the  barricades  there  had  been 
carried,  those  positions  must  also  have  been  abandoned,  and 
all  communication  between  the  British  and  Russian  Lega 
tions  would  have  been  cut  off. 

The  morning  after  the  troops  entered,  two  mines  heavily 
charged  were  fired.  If  the  troops  had  been  one  day  later, 
there  is  no  saying  what  the  consequences  might  have  been. 
All  with  whom  Rex  had  chatted  were  of  opinion  that  the 
Chinese  were  deterred  from  attacking,  not  by  our  rifle  fire, 
but  by  a  superstitious  fear  that  we  were  keeping  some  secret 
means  of  destruction  in  reserve.  Whether  it  was  that  we 
had  mined  the  grqund  everywhere,  and  would  blow  them  all 
into  the  air  as  soon  as  they  crossed  our  barricades,  or  whether 
they  feared  some  unknown,  but  even  more  terrible  form  of 
death,  could  not  be  said,  but  the  men  who  were  ready  to 
endure  the  deadly  fire  of  our  rifles  could  not  be  got  to  make 
a  rush  against  a  position  where  only  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
men  faced  them.  The  Chinese  kept  up  their  straggling  fir© 
all  day,  and  among  others  one  English  lady  was  hit  in  the 
arm,  this  being  the  first  time  that  a  woman  had  been  struck 


THE    STORY    OF   THE    SIEGE  331 

since  the  siege  began.  Rex  learned  that  out  of  a  total 
strength  of  nineteen  officers  and  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  men,  including  volunteers,  thirteen  officers  were  killed 
and  wounded,  and  sixty-seven  men  killed  and  a  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  wounded.  Fighting  still  went  on,  but  great 
surprise  was  expressed  that  the  French  did  not  make  any 
attempt  to  go  to  the  relief  of  their  countrymen  in  the  North 
Cathedral. 

In  the  evening,  Rex  went  into  the  Fu,  where  the  Japanese 
were  for  the  most  part  quartered,  and  enquired  of  General 
Fukushima  if  there  was  anything  that  he  could  do. 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  at  present.  When 
we  once  get  out  into  the  city  I  shall  be  very  glad  of  your 
services  again.  You  can,  if  you  like,  go  with  a  force  I  am 
sending  out  in  the  morning  to  relieve  the  French  mission 
aries.  We  know  they  must  be  in  extreme  danger,  and  it 
would  be  a  scandal  if  we  allowed  them  to  be  massacred  after 
we  have  entered  the  city." 

Accordingly  the  next  morning  Rex  started  with  the  Jap 
anese.  They  made  a  long  detour  and  approached  the  cathe 
dral  from  the  other  side.  They  attacked  and  drove  off  the 
Chinese  on  that  side  and  really  raised  the  siege,  but  at  the 
same  time  they  heard  heavy  firing  on  the  other  side,  and 
found  that  the  French  and  Russians  had  arrived  there.  Fu 
kushima  therefore  halted  his  men,  being  willing  to  give  the 
French  the  opportunity  of  being  the  first  to  relieve  their 
countrymen. 

The  garrison  had  had  indeed  a  terrible  time,  and  in  spite  of 
the  entry  of  the  allied  force,  the  attack  had  been  maintained 
up  to  the  very  moment  of  their  relief.  The  Japanese  had 
met  with  resistance  on  coming  through  the  gate  that  sepa 
rated  the  cathedral  quarter  from  the  palace  of  the  Empress. 
Here  they  came  upon  a  number  of  Boxers,  who  were  so  occu- 


332  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

pied  by  their  attack  upon  the  cathedral  that  they  had  scarcely 
noticed  the  arrival  of  the  relieving  force.  Taken  by  surprise, 
a  good  many  of  them  were  hemmed  in,  and  a  machine-gun 
was  trained  upon  them  with  terrible  effect.  Fighting  was 
kept  up  through  the  various  streets,  and  continued  until  they 
reached  the  cathedral.  The  garrison  at  first  refused  to  admit 
this  unknown  band  of  swarthy  warriors,  and  some  explana 
tions  had  to  be  exchanged  before  they  could  be  brought  to 
understand  that  they  had  been  relieved. 

The  Catholics  would  never  have  remained  in  possession  of 
the  cathedral  had  not  the  Chinese  municipal  officers  assured 
them  that  they  would  be  altogether  undisturbed.  When  the 
Boxers  first  appeared  near  the  cathedral,  the  governor  as 
serted  that  he  had  special  orders  to  protect  the  cathedral. 
The  regular  troops  there  consisted  only  of  thirty  French  and 
twelve  Italian  marines,  who  at  the  last  moment,  when  the 
danger  of  the  situation  could  no  longer  be  winked  at,  had 
been  spared  from  the  slender  garrison  of  the  Legations  to  aid 
in  the  defence.  This  was  the  force  that  was  called  upon  to 
defend  the  circuit  of  the  walls  of  the  great  French  establish 
ment,  whose  circumference  amounted  to  nearly  a  mile. 
Within  this  circle  there  were  no  fewer  than  three  thousand 
five  hundred  people,  the  larger  portion  of  whom  consisted  of 
children  from  the  orphanages.  The  adults  were  formed  by 
the  fathers  into  a  body,  and  armed  with  spears  made  by 
fastening  knives  to  the  ends  of  long  poles.  The  eight 
muskets,  which  were  all  the  firearms  they  had,  were  dis 
tributed  among  the  different  sections. 

The  Chinese  authorities  threw  off  the  mask  on  the  10th  of 
June,  and  on  that  day  the  Chinese  regulars  and  Boxers  sur 
rounded  the  place,  cut  the  telegraph  wires,  and  completely 
isolated  it. 

At  the  head  of  the  defence  was  Mgr.  Favier,  the  heroic 


THE    STORY    OF   THE    SIEGE  333 

bishop,  who  by  his  courage,  self-devotion,  and  zeal,  kept  up 
the  spirits  of  the  defenders  through  the  darkest  days  of  the 
siege.  He  was  the  soul  of  the  resistance.  Under  him  were 
six  priests,  who  organized  the  work  of  defence  and  set  a 
noble  example  to  the  others.  The  converts  were  set  to  work 
with  pick  and  spade  to  assist  in  the  defence,  and  the  whole 
defensible  area  was  quickly  surrounded  with  trenches  and 
barricades.  Ammunition  was  unfortunately  very  short,  but 
the  priests  set  some  of  the  converts  to  manufacture  powder 
and  bullets.  The  shot  was  not  difficult  to  make,  as  lead  and 
pewter  could  be  obtained  from  the  roofs  and  vessels,  but  both 
sulphur  and  charcoal  were  very  scarce.  After  many  failures, 
however,  some  thousands  of  rounds  were  manufactured. 
These  would  have  been  of  no  use  for  distant  fighting,  but 
they  were  sufficient  for  what  at  times  was  almost  hand-to- 
hand  work. 

The  Boxers  burnt  all  the  houses  in  the  neighbourhood, 
threw  inflammable  pots  into  the  convent  and  upon  the  roof 
of  the  cathedral,  and  maintained  a  continuous  fire  of  mus 
ketry  and  artillery.  Fortunately  the  fire  was  principally 
directed  against  the  cathedral,  and  though  that  building  was 
sorely  battered,  but  little  harm  was  done  to  the  defenders. 

Continual  messages  were  shouted  to  the  converts  calling 
upon  them  to  come  out.  One  note,  which  was  thrown  into 
the  trenches  on  an  arrow,  ran  as  follows :  "  You  Christians 
shut  up  in  the  Peitang,  reduced  to  die  in  misery,  eating  the 
leaves  of  trees,  why  do  you  so  obstinately  resist  ?  We  have 
cannon  and  mines,  and  can  blow  you  all  up  in  no  time.  You 
are  deceived  by  the  devils  of  Europe.  Return  to  the  ancient 
religion  of  the  Fu,  hand  over  Mgr.  Favier  and  the  rest,  and 
your  lives  shall  be  saved  and  we  will  supply  you  with  food. 
If  you  do  not  do  this,  your  women  and  children  will  be  cut 
to  pieces." 


334  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

But  although  these  attempts  continued  throughout  the 
siege  not  one  of  the  converts  evinced  the  slightest  desire  to 
give  in.  The  worst  form  of  attack  was  that  of  mining.  The 
enemy  successfully  exploded  one  huge  mine,  blowing  up 
several  buildings,  and  killing  no  fewer  than  eighty  children 
and  injuring  a  still  greater  number.  Four  tons  of  gunpowder 
were  said  to  have  been  used,  and  the  result  was  a  huge  round 
hole  like  the  crater  of  a  small  volcano,  measuring  in 
diameter,  from  bank  to  bank,  fully  ninety  feet.  Even  this 
did  not  shake  the  courage  of  the  defenders,  but  it  warned 
them  of  what  they  had  to  expect,  and  all  available  hands 
were  at  once  set  to  work  digging  very  deep  trenches  to  prevent 
the  Chinese  from  mining  under  the  buildings.  In  spite  of 
these  efforts,  however,  four  mines  were  exploded  inside  the 
compound,  but  another,  which  would  have  been  almost  as 
formidable  as  the  first,  was  prevented  from  doing  the  dam 
age  that  it  would  otherwise  have  done  by  one  of  the 
other  trenches,  though  over  seventy  people  were  injured  by 
the  explosion. 

Several  other  mines  besides  those  exploded  were  met  by 
countermines  driven  by  the  besieged.  One  mine,  however, 
had  escaped  observation.  This  was  driven  under  the  founda 
tions  of  the  cathedral,  and  had  the  relief  been  delayed  but  a 
day  or  two  longer  it  would  have  been  fired  and  would  prob 
ably  have  caused  the  death  of  a  vast  number  of  people,  for 
the  building  was  throughout  the  siege  used  as  a  hospital. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  siege  the  garrison  was  greatly 
annoyed  by  rockets.  These  were  fired  by  an  ingenious  gun, 
and  directed  by  the  Chinese  themselves.  They  rendered  any 
passage  across  the  enclosure  dangerous,  and  set  fire  to  many 
buildings.  Once  a  brilliant  sortie  was  organized  and  carried 
out  by  the  handful  of  marines  and  a  number  of  spear-armed 
converts.  They  succeeded  in  capturing  a  field-piece  and 


THE    STORY    OF   THE   SIEGE  335 

some  ammunition,  the  latter  being  invaluable  during  the 
siege. 

But  the  greatest  enemy  with  whom  the  garrison  had  to 
contend  was  hunger.  Gradually  the  ration  of  rice  served  out 
to  the  converts  was  reduced,  and  at  the  end,  although  but  two 
ounces  of  rice  was  all  that  could  be  allowed  to  the  Chinese 
converts,  even  this  would  have  failed  in  the  course  of  another 
two  or  three  days.  This  miserable  ration  was  eked  out  in 
every  way.  Every  green  thing,  every  blade  of  grass,  was 
pulled  up,  cooked,  and  eaten.  The  last  few  starving  animals, 
before  they  were  killed,  had  stripped  the  bark  off  the  trees 
as  high  as  they  could  reach. 

The  little  party  of  marines  had  lost  heavily.  The  captain 
had  been  killed  early  in  the  siege.  The  lieutenant  fell  on 
the  30th  of  July.  He  was  but  twenty-three,  but  his  cheer 
fulness  and  devotion  had  done  much  to  maintain  the  spirits 
of  the  besieged.  He  had  worked  night  and  day,  and  his  death 
caused  the  deepest  regret  among  the  garrison.  Eleven  of 
the  soldiers  were  also  killed  and  most  of  the  others  were 
wounded. 

Mgr.  Favier  wrote :  "  We  wept  but  once  during  the  siege, 
and  it  was  on  this  day.  So  terrible  was  the  pinch  of  hunger 
that  half-wild  dogs  which  fell  upon  the  dead  Boxers  lying 
round  the  entrenchments  were  killed  and  eaten."  The  suffer 
ing  was  so  great  that  one  has  to  go  back  to  the  siege  of 
Leyden  for  a  parallel.  The  defenders,  when  relief  arrived, 
were  almost  skeletons,  living  spectres  scarce  able  to  drag 
themselves  along,  and  their  rescuers,  on  viewing  the  shat 
tered  defences,  the  numerous  pits  made  by  the  exploded 
mines,  and  the  worn  and  pallid  forms  of  the  defenders,  were 
astonished  that  they  had  been  able  to  hold  out  so  long 
against  a  horde  of  well-armed  and  determined  assailants. 
Gallant  as  was  the  defence  of  the  Legations,  there  could 


336  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN" 

be  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  was  as  nothing  compared  with 
that  of  the  cathedral. 

As  things  began  to  settle  down  a  little  the  pressure  in  the 
Legations  was  relaxed,  the  Chinese  converts  in  the  Fu  and  in 
the  British  Legation  moved  out  and  established  themselves 
in  the  deserted  houses  near.  Supplies  began  to  come  in, 
especially  to  the  British  Legation,  where  the  natives  quickly 
learned  that  they  would  be  fairly  treated.  The  Japanese 
were  also  well  supplied,  but  no  native  would  enter  the  Rus 
sian  quarter.  The  attempts  of  Russia  to  pose  now  as  the 
friend  of  China  were  wholly  fruitless.  Putting  aside  the 
atrocities  the  Russians  had  committed  there,  the  natives  had 
become  well  aware  of  the  horrible  massacres  they  had  per 
petrated  in  Manchuria,  and  their  occupation  of  that  province 
had  excited  so  deep  a  feeling  of  animosity  that  even  had 
their  behaviour  been  good  at  Pekin  they  would  still  have 
been  regarded  with  the  greatest  mistrust. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

CONCLUSION 

T^IGHTING  went  on  for  some  days,  but  at  last  all  opposi- 
•*-  tion  ceased,  and  the  Chinese  soldiers  either  left  the  city 
altogether  or,  changing  their  clothes,  appeared  as  peaceable 
citizens.  Rex  went  round  the  town  and  was  horrified  at  the 
destruction  that  everywhere  met  his  eye.  The  portion  of  the 
town  held  by  the  Russians  was  infinitely  the  worst;  there 
the  looting  had  been  universal,  and  the  atrocities  committed 
upon  the  unfortunate  inhabitants  beyond  description.  In 
that  part  of  the  city  Rex  scarcely  saw  a  native  in  the  streets. 
In  the  German  quarter  things  were  little  better,  and  in  the 
French  quite  as  bad.  In  those  portions  of  the  city  occupied 
by  the  British  and  the  Americans  many  natives  were  moving 
about,  and  in  many  of  the  streets  fruit  and  other  things  were 
exposed  for  sale  on  stalls.  In  the  Japanese  quarter  all  was 
order  and  regularity.  Looting  had  been  prohibited  from  the 
first,  and  stringent  orders  given  for  the  good  treatment  of  the 
inhabitants.  This  had  such  a  good  effect  that  shops  were 
already  opening,  and  stalls  lined  the  streets,  and  indeed  the 
greater  portion  of  the  inhabitants  from  the  other  quarters 
had  migrated  to  this  part,  where  alone  they  found  they  would 
be  safe  from  pillage  and  outrage.  It  was  a  humiliating  sight 
for  an  Englishman  that  these  swarthy  little  soldiers,  whom 
the  Europeans  regarded  almost  as  barbarians,  should  be  so 
infinitely  in  advance  of  the  Western  troops  in  discipline, 
order,  and  good  conduct. 

337 


338  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

The  Americans,  on  the  day  following  the  relief  of  the 
Legations,  fought  their  way  to  the  entrance  of  the  Forbidden 
City;  but  there  they  halted,  as  an  agreement  had  been  made 
that  none  should  enter  the  Palace  grounds  until  a  formal 
entrance  was  made  by  the  whole  force.  The  jealousies  and 
bickerings  of  the  various  generals  had  broken  out  afresh  now 
that  their  purpose  was  achieved.  The  Russians,  who  had 
from  the  first  signalized  themselves  by  their  brutal  treatment 
of  the  natives,  were  now  posing  as  their  friends,  and  were 
already  advocating  a  retirement.  The  French,  owing  per 
haps  to  their  supposed  alliance  with  the  Russians  (though 
from  the  beginning  they  had  been  conspicuous  for  doing 
nothing),  followed  their  lead  in  this  as  in  all  things.  The 
Italians  were  inclined  in  the  same  direction;  but  the  Japa 
nese,  British,  and  Americans  were  wholly  against  any  move 
ment  of  retirement  until  terms  had  been  definitely  settled. 

After  a  fortnight's  consideration  they  decided  to  march 
through  the  Imperial  Palace,  and  on  the  twenty-sixth  the 
troops  paraded,  the  arrangement  being  that  ten  per  cent  of 
each  nationality  should  take  part  in  the  demonstration.  They 
drew  up  outside  the  inner  gateway.  The  Russians  took  up 
their  position  in  the  centre,  close  to  the  great  stone  bridge, 
the  Japanese  a  little  to  the  left,  the  British  were  to  the  right 
of  the  Russians,  and  the  remainder  behind  them.  They  had 
but  one  band,  a  Russian  one,  but  there  were  also  some  pipers 
belonging  to  one  of  the  Indian  Regiments.  In  all  there  were 
eight  hundred  Russians,  eight  hundred  Japanese,  four  hun 
dred  British,  four  hundred  Americans,  two  hundred  French, 
two  hundred  Germans,  and  one  hundred  Italians  and  Aus- 
trians.  Soon  after  eight  o'clock  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns 
was  fired  by  one  of  our  field-artillery  batteries,  and  then,  led 
by  the  Russians,  the  force  marched  through  the  central  arch 
way  of  the  Tien-An-Men. 


CONCLUSION  339 

The  Imperial  Hall  of  Audience,  or,  as  it  was  called,  the 
Hall  of  Great  Harmony,  was  a  magnificent  building.  It  was 
here  that  the  Emperor  sat  enthroned,  receiving  the  homage 
of  his  court,  on  any  great  occasion,  notably  New  Year's  Day, 
his  own  birthday,  and  various  other  times  prescribed  by  the 
rigid  ceremony  of  the  court.  Here  he  conferred  literary  de 
grees  and  distributed  robes  of  honour  and  promotions  in 
rank.  The  hall  was  over  two  hundred  feet  long,  one  hundred 
feet  wide,  and  the  same  height.  It  stood  on  a  noble  terrace  of 
white  stone,  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  courtyard,  and 
was  reached  by  five  flights  of  steps.  These  were  flanked, 
and  the  terrace  surrounded,  by  white  marble  balustrades, 
both  steps  and  balustrades  being  excellently  carved.  A  num 
ber  of  huge  bronze  urns  of  very  handsome  design,  and  two 
great  bronze  tortoises,  added  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  approach. 

Externally  the  hall  was  in  fair  repair,  but  the  ornamenta 
tion  under  the  eaves  was  dirty,  and  the  pillars  outside  and 
the  woodwork  round  the  walls  were  sadly  needing  paint,  so 
that  in  spite  of  the  fine  approach  the  general  aspect  was  that 
of  shabbiness.  Why  this  should  be  so  under  the  rule  of  an 
all-powerful  Empress,  with  the  whole  resources  of  the  Em 
pire  at  her  command,  was  quite  unaccountable.  One  would 
have  expected  that  everything  within  the  walls  of  the  palace, 
which  is  the  centre  of  the  Empire,  would  have  been  kept  in 
the  most  perfect  order.  The  same  want  of  repair  was  evident 
in  the  Hall  of  Central  Harmony,  the  Hall  of  Precious  Har 
mony,  and  the  various  pavilions  in  the  courtyards  through 
which  the  troops  marched.  In  fact  the  aspect  of  all  the 
rooms,  halls,  and  pavilions  was  disappointing  in  the  extreme. 
The  waiting-rooms  were  gloomy,  and  everything  was  cov 
ered  with  dust.  Grass  grew  thickly  in  the  courtyard,  and 
indeed  the  whole  place  had  an  aspect  of  neglect  and  priva 
tion.  In  the  Imperial  apartment  there  were  superb  vases 


340  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

and  ornaments  of  all  kinds,  all  bearing  the  same  marks  of 
neglect.  The  general  feeling  among  the  troops  was  one  of 
disappointment.  After  a  stay  of  an  hour  or  two  the  troops 
marched  out  again.  Some  small  articles  were  carried  off, 
but  there  was  nothing  like  general  looting,  and  the  mandarins 
who  had  remained  behind  in  charge  had  no  reason  to  com 
plain  of  the  conduct  of  the  troops. 

Rex  accompanied  the  Japanese  in  their  march,  as  being 
officially  in  their  service,  and,  like  all  those  who  had  formed 
the  procession,  was  greatly  disappointed. 

"It  is  really  a  rotten  old  place,"  he  said  to  the  girls  on 
his  turn.  "  It  looks  as  if  it  hadn't  been  inhabited  for  a  hun 
dred  years.  It  is  grimy,  dusty,  and  dark.  No  doubt  there 
were  all  sorts  of  good  things  in  the  way  of  vases,  but  even 
these  were  so  dirty  and  dull  that  no  one  would  think  of  look 
ing  at  them  if  they  were  not  in  the  palace.  Certainly  I  did 
not  see  anything  that  I  should  have  cared  to  carry  off  if  I 
had  been  permitted  to  do  so,  except  upon  the  supposition  that, 
as  they  were  in  the  palace  they  must  be  valuable.  I  have  seen 
much  better  things  in  the  loot  taken  in  the  city." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  Rex,"  Jenny  said, 
"  for  it  does  seem  rather  hard  that  the  women  who  have 
taken  part  in  the  siege  should  not  have  been  allowed  to  go 
to  look  at  all  the  wonders." 

"  Well,  you  have  lost  nothing,  I  can  assure  you,"  said  Rex. 
"  Some  of  those  things  I  bought  are  certainly  better  worth 
looking  at  than  anything  in  the  palace,  at  least  till  it  has 
been  cleaned  up  a  bit." 

Pekin  having  been  conquered,  and  the  proof  of  conquest 
having  been  given  to  the  Chinese  by  the  march  through  the 
temple,  the  general  topic  of  conversation  was  what  was  next 
to  be  done.  The  Empress  was,  it  was  known,  making  her 
way  to  Shansi,  some  hundreds  of  miles  away,  and  all  agreed 


CONCLUSION  341 

that  it  would  be  impossible  to  pursue  her  there,  for  even  if 
the  journey  could  be  accomplished  she  would  simply  make 
another  move,  and  so  evade  capture.  It  was  considered 
probable  that  she  would  make  an  offer  to  treat,  but  no  doubt 
a  considerable  time,  weeks  perhaps,  or  even  months,  would 
pass  before  she  could  bring;  herself  to  do  so.  It  was  consid 
ered  certain  that  sooner  or  later  she  must  take  such  a  step, 
for,  credulous  as  the  Chinese  are,  it  would  be  impossible 
to  get  them  to  believe  that  she  was  staying  at  Shansi  from 
choice,  and  that  Pekin  was  occupied  by  the  allies  by  her 
gracious  permission.  The  question  was,  what  would  be  the 
end?  As  a  matter  of  course  a  huge  sum  would  have  to  be 
paid  for  the  expenses  of  the  war.  On  this  point  opinion  was 
unanimous.  The  question  on  which  there  were  strong  differ 
ences  of  opinion  was,  what  else  would  happen?  Would  each 
of  the  Powers  demand  a  slice  of  Chinese  territory,  and  under 
take  the  civilization  of  the  huge  Empire?  One  objection 
to  this  was  that  it  would  sooner  or  later  lead  to  a  general 
outbreak  of  hostilities  between  the  Powers.  It  was  probable 
that  the  mere  work  of  fixing  the  respective  frontiers  would 
bring  matters  to  a  crisis  at  once.  Russia  would  assuredly 
demand  a  far  greater  share  than  the  others,  and,  on  condition 
that  France  would  back  her,  would  see  that  that  country 
also  benefited  very  largely.  Austria  and  Italy  would  cer 
tainly  be  unable  to  manage  a  concession  of  any  size,  and, 
moreover,  they  had  so  little  interest  in  the  East  that  they 
would  probably  put  in  no  claims.  Germany,  with  her 
sudden  greed  for  colonizing,  would  certainly  expect  a  large 
slice.  On  the  other  hand,  Japan,  Great  Britain,  and  Amer 
ica  might  be  expected  to  oppose  any  steps  in  this  direction. 
None  of  them  had  any  wish  to  acquire  territory.  As  traders 
they  desired  that  all  doors  should  be  kept  open,  and  that  trade 
should  be  free  to  all.  Their  interest,  therefore,  was  that 


342  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

China  should  remain  intact,  and  should  be  allowed  to  ad 
vance  gradually  in  the  path  of  reform. 

The  war  with  Japan  had  already  given  a  vast  impulse  to 
her  life  in  many  respects.  Short  as  the  intervening  time  had 
been,  she  had  accumulated  great  stores  of  modern  weapons, 
and  had  made  considerable  progress  in  the  work  of  turning 
peasantry  into  soldiers.  It  was  probable  that  a  second 
disastrous  defeat  would  show  her  still  more  vividly  the 
necessity  for  adopting  European  methods.  It  would  assur 
edly  strengthen  enormously  the  hands  of  the  progressive 
party.  Prince  Ching  and  others  of  the  same  views  would 
gain  power  and  influence,  and  obstinate  and  imperious  as 
the  Empress  might  be,  the  fact  that  she  had  been  driven  a 
fugitive  from  her  capital,  as  the  result  of  following  the 
advice  of  the  war  party,  could  not  but  impress  her  strongly. 
Although  all  allowed  that  it  would  be  some  time  before 
China  recovered  from  the  shock,  most  of  those  in  the  British 
Legation  at  any  rate,  were  of  opinion  that  it  would  finally 
be  of  immense  benefit  to  her. 

The  arguments  were  sometimes  quite  heated,  until  some 
calm  listener  suggested  that  months  might  elapse  before  any 
preliminaries  of  peace  were  agreed  upon,  and  it  was  scarcely 
worth  while  to  get  excited  over  a  future  which  really  no  one 
at  present  could  in  the  slightest  degree  foretell. 

Before  starting,  Hex  had  been  furnished  by  his  father  with 
a  considerable  amount  of  money. 

"  There  is  sure  to  be  a  great  deal  of  looting,"  Mr.  Bate- 
man  said,  "  and,  as  is  always  the  case  in  such  circumstances, 
the  soldiers  are  altogether  ignorant  of  the  value  of  the  things 
they  have  picked  up,  and  will  be  ready  to  sell  them  for  a  mere 
song.  The  two  things  to  keep  your  eyes  upon  are  really  fine 
vases,  old  ones  of  course,  and  furs.  The  Chinese  don't  mind 
what  they  give  for  good  furs,  so  that  their  possessions  in  this 


CONCLUSION  343 

line  are  of  immense  value.  There  are  also  silks  and  things  of 
that  sort,  but  they  are  not  so  saleable  as  furs,  'and  I  should 
advise  you  to  stick  to  these  and  cloisonne  vases." 

All  the  time  he  was  able  to  go  about  the  city,  Rex  had 
carried  out  his  father's  instructions.  The  Russian  soldiers 
had  pillaged  every  shop  in  their  district,  and  among  these,  as 
at  Tung-Chow,  were  enormous  quantities  of  valuables  of  all 
kinds,  many  of  which  they  had  been  ready  to  dispose  of  for  a 
few  dollars  to  the  first  comer.  Rex  was  therefore  able  to 
procure  a  large  quantity  of  valuable  furs,  fine  vases,  jade, 
and  jewellery.  In  the  British  quarter  all  loot  found  was 
handed  over  to  the  military  authorities,  who  sold  it  by 
auction  every  two  or  three  days.  Here  the  more  valuable 
goods  went  for  a  song;  fox-furs  worth  a  couple  of  hundred 
pounds  fetched  only  seven  or  eight,  and  vases  were  equally 
cheap,  as  the  difficulty  of  carriage  deterred  most  of  the  buyers 
from  bidding  at  all.  On  the  other  hand,  small  articles  which 
could  be  taken  home  as  curios,  and  in  memory  of  the  siege, 
were  eagerly  bought  up  by  soldiers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  at  prices  far  beyond  their  intrinsic  value.  The  mis 
sionaries  were  very  active  in  obtaining  loot, — which  they  also 
sold  for  the  most  part  by  auction, — and  justified  their  actior 
by  saying  that  the  money  would  be  used  in  rebuilding  their 
ruined  chapels  and  mission-houses.  All  this  and  much  more 
that  took  place  during  the  war  was  in  direct  defiance  of  the 
treaty  to  which  China,  as  well  as  all  the  allied  powers,  was  a 
party.  This  forbade  the  ill-treatment  of  private  persons,  the 
forcible  entry  into  their  houses,  the  taking  of  their  goods; 
but  the  allies  considered  that  the  Chinese,  by  their  massacre 
of  thousands  of  Christians  and  of  numbers  of  missionaries, 
together  with  their  attack  upon  the  settlements,  had  so 
broken  the  treaty  as  to  put  themselves  quite  out  of  court. 
It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  conduct  of  the  troops, 


344  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO  PEKIN 

especially  of  the  Russians,  Germans,  and  French,  cannot  but 
have  greatly  heightened  the  hatred  felt  by  the  Chinese  for 
the  "  foreign  devils." 

Rex  had  no  difficulty  in  hiring  coolies  to  bring  home  his 
purchases,  and  the  girls  were  astonished  at  the  mass  of  valu 
ables  he  brought  to  the  little  room  they  now  occupied.  They 
were,  of  course,  ignorant  of  the  real  worth  of  these  things, 
but  they  could  not  but  know  that  the  silk  and  satin  mantles, 
lined  with  lovely  furs,  must  be  of  considerable  value.  "  How 
ever  are  you  going  to  get  them  all  down,  Rex  ? "  asked 
Jenny. 

"  Well,  I  intend  to  buy  a  couple  of  carts,  and  of  course  I 
shall  hire  coolies  to  drive  them.  When  we  have  got  all  the 
things  stowed  away  in  them  we  will  cover  them  with  some 
rough  cloth,  and  then  you  can  sit  one  in  each;  that  will  be 
much  more  comfortable  for  you  than  riding,  for,  as  you  have 
told  me,  you  have  never  been  on  a  horse's  back  in  your  lives, 
and  besides  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  buy  decent 
horses  here." 

"  Yes,  it  would  be  a  great  deal  better.  When  do  you  think 
we  shall  be  able  to  leave  ? " 

"  I  hear,"  he  said,  "  that  the  day  after  to-morrow  a  convoy 
is  going  down,  and  that  all  women  who  have  not  husbands 
here  can  accompany  it.  I  think,  therefore,  that  we  may  as 
well  go.  There  is  nothing  whatever  to  keep  us  here,  and  as 
far  as  I  can  see  nothing  is  likely  to  be  done  for  a  long  time, 
perhaps  months.  The  Empress  is  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
and  it  is  certain  that  it  will  take  a  long  time  indeed  before 
the  terms  of  any  treaty  can  be  settled.  I  shall  make  arrange 
ments  for  our  joining  the  convoy.  We  certainly  cannot  take 
much  time  to  pack.  Ah  Lo  and  I  have  horses,  and  I  will  this 
afternoon  try  to  pick  up  a  couple  of  carts.  There  is  no  buying 
them  here,  but  I  will  ride  out  with  Ah  Lo  to  some  of  the 


CONCLUSION  345 

villages  round,  where  1  have  no  doubt  I  shall  be  able  to  get 
what  I  want. 

"  There  will,  of  course,  be  an  infantry  escort  with  the 
convoy,  and  we  shall  therefore  travel  at  a  walking-pace; 
besides,  there  must  be  a  number  of  wagons  to  carry  stores 
for  consumption  on  the  way.  We  shall  therefore  have  110 
difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  the  rest." 

An  hour  later  he  rode  out  with  Ah  Lo.  Both  carried  their 
rifles  slung  behind  them,  and  Rex,  in  addition,  took  a  re 
volver.  It  was  certain  they  would  not  be  able  to  buy  carts 
in  any  of  the  villages,  as  these  were  entirely  deserted,  except 
by  a  few  old  people,  within  a  circuit  of  some  miles  round  the 
city.  They  therefore  rode  a  considerable  distance  into  the 
country.  As  they  went  along  they  saw  in  the  distance  a 
Russian  column,  which  they  had  heard  was  to  start  an  hour 
before  they  rode  out.  As  it  was  certain  that  nothing  would 
be  found  anywhere  near  that  column,  they  were  about  to 
turn  off  and  ride  in  another  direction,  when  they  saw  four 
Russian  soldiers  come  out  of  a  shed,  in  which  they  had 
apparently  been  hiding,  and  go  into  a  neighbouring 
village. 

"Those  rascals  have  evidently  hidden,"  said  Rex;  "prob 
ably  the  column  halted  here  and  they  slipped  into  that  shed 
intending  to  do  some  plundering  on  their  own  account  and 
to  fall  in  again  as  the  force  returns." 

The  village  was  but  two  hundred  yards  from  them.  Sud 
denly  they  heard  loud  and  piercing  screams  coming  from 
that  direction. 

"  Come  on,  Ah  Lo,  those  villains  are  up  to  some  rascality. 
Some  of  the  villagers  have  fallen  into  their  hands." 

Setting  their  horses  to  a  gallop  they  dashed  into  the 
village.  The  screams  were  coming  from  a  house  of  some 
what  superior  appearance.  Leaping  from  their  horses  they 


346  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

ran  in  and  discovered  four  or  five  women  struggling  wildly 
against  the  Russians. 

"  Leave  those  women  alone,  you  scoundrels,"  Rex  shouted. 

With  savage  oaths  the  Russians  turned  round,  and,  seeing 
that  it  was  but  a  civilian  with  a  native  who  accosted  them, 
they  caught  up  their  muskets.  Rex  had  not  time  to  unsling 
his  rifle,  but  he  drew  his  revolver  and,  as  one  of  the  Russians 
raised  his  musket  to  his  shoulder,  fired.  The  ball  struck  the 
man  in  the  forehead  and  he  fell  back.  One  of  the  others 
fired  at  once,  but  as  he  did  not  raise  his  musket  to  his  shoul 
der  his  aim  was  not  true,  and  the  shot  passed  through  Rex's 
coat  without  touching  him.  Ah  Lo,  who  had  by  this  time 
unslung  his  rifle,  shot  the  man  dead.  The  other  two,  with  a 
howl  of  rage,  rushed  at  them.  The  Russians  always  carried 
their  bayonets  fixed  and  relied  upon  them  rather  than  upon 
shooting.  Ah  Lo  had  not  time  to  recock  his  piece,  but,  using 
his  rifle  as  a  club,  struck  aside  the  thrust  aimed  at  him.  The 
impetus  of  the  charge  brought  the  two  men  together  and, 
simultaneously  dropping  their  guns,  they  grappled  in  a  fierce 
wrestle. 

Rex  had  fired  again  as  his  opponent  rushed  at  him.  It  was 
but  a  snap-shot,  but  the  bullet  went  through  one  of  the 
Russian's  wrists,  and  caused  his  thrust  to  swerve.  The 
bayonet  ripped  open  Rex's  clothes,  inflicting  a  slight  wound 
along  his  chest  as  it  passed.  The  force  of  the  blow,  however, 
threw  Rex  upon  his  back.  The  Russian,  standing  over  him, 
raised  his  musket  to  strike,  but  as  he  looked  down  Rex  again 
fired.  The  bullet  struck  the  man  between  the  eyes,  and  he 
fell  a  lifeless  mass,  completely  knocking  the  breath  out  of 
Rex's  body.  It  needed  all  the  lad's  strength  to  roll  the  body 
off  and  to  gain  his  feet.  The  combat  between  Ah  Lo  and 
the  Russian  had  just  terminated.  The  latter  was  a  big  and 
powerful  man,  but  he  was  no  match  for  the  Chinaman,  who, 


CONCLUSION  347 

having  gripped  his  adversary  by  the  throat,  held  on  until 
he  had  choked  the  life  out  of  him.  To  make  sure,  however, 
he  at  once  picked  up  his  rifle  and  put  *a  ball  into  the  man's 
head. 

"  Perhaps  he  is  dead,  master,  perhaps  not.  No  good  leave 
him  to  get  round  again." 

The  women,  as  soon  as  the  Russians  had  released  them,  had 
fled  upstairs.  Rex  called  out  to  them  in  Chinese  to  come 
down,  but  it  was  not  until  he  had  called  three  or  four  times 
that  one  timidly  descended.  Seeing  the  four  Russians  lying 
dead,  she  fell  on  her  knees  and  poured  out  her  thanks,  and 
the  others,  perceiving  that  all  was  well,  at  once  came  down. 

"  Look  here,"  Rex  said,  "  I  don't  want  any  thanks.  I  have 
only  done  my  duty  as  a  man.  Now  you  must  at  once  hide 
these  bodies  somewhere.  There  is  a  ruined  house  next  door, 
we  will  carry  the  bodies  there  at  once  and  topple  one  of  the 
mud  walls  over  them.  Then  you  must  come  back  here  and 
clean  up  the  floor,  and  afterwards  take  refuge  in  the  place 
where  you  were  hiding  when  the  column  came  along.  It  is 
hardly  likely  that  they  will  miss  these  fellows,  but  if  they  do 
they  will  be  sure  to  search  all  the  villages  they  pass  through 
on  the  way  back." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour's  work  sufficed  to  obliterate  all  traces 
of  the  conflict,  and  Rex  and  Ah  Lo  rode  off  amid  the  blessings 
of  the  women  they  had  rescued. 

"  It  is  lucky  for  those  poor  creatures  that  we  came  along, 
Ah  Lo.  I  can't  say  I  feel  the  slightest  regret  at  having  to 
kill  those  Russian  scoundrels." 

"  They  'are  very  bad  men,  the  Russians,"  Ah  Lo  said;  "  they 
rob  everyone,  do  very  bad  things  wherever  they  go." 

"  Well,  I  need  not  say,  Ah  Lo,  that  we  must  keep  this  affair 
a  strict  secret.  If  it  were  discovered  there  would  be  a  fright 
ful  row  over  it.  I  think  before  we  go  any  farther  I  will 


348  WITH  THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKLtf 

dismount.  That  bayonet  has  certainly  cut  a  gash  across  my 
chest.  I  have  been  too  busy  to  think  about  it,  but  I  feel  now 
that  it  is  bleeding." 

The  wound,  which  was  in  no  way  serious,  was  bandaged  up 
and  they  resumed  their  ride.  After  going  for  two  or  three 
miles  farther  they  came  upon  a  village  where  some  of  the 
cultivators  still  remained,  and  these  were  well  pleased  to  sell 
three  carts  and  six  mules.  The  carts  were  primitive  vehicles, 
consisting  of  a  pair  of  great  wooden  wheels,  a  pair  of  shafts, 
and  a  long  framework.  On  this  was  what  resembled  a  great 
box,  which  could  either  be  used  for  the  conveyance  of  two 
passengers  or  filled  with  goods.  In  the  former  case  the  jolt 
ing  over  the  rough  roads  was  so  unbearable,  and  indeed 
dangerous,  that  the  sides  and  roof  had  to  be  padded  with 
thick  mattresses.  The  framework  projected  beyond  the  body 
of  the  cart,  and  goods  could  be  lashed  there  when  the  box  was 
used  as  a  carriage.  Rex  decided  that  a  mattress  should  be 
placed  here  for  the  girls  to  sit  on,  both  because  it  would  be 
infinitely  more  comfortable  than  being  boxed  up,  and  be 
cause  the  interiors  would  be  filled  with  his  purchases. 

After  some  bargaining  he  succeeded  in  persuading  three  of 
the  villagers  to  go  with  the  carts,  promising  them,  in  addition 
to  their  pay,  the  gift  of  the  conveyances  and  mules  on  their 
arrival  at  Tientsin. 

The  girls  went  into  screams  of  laughter  when  he  arrived, 
late  in  the  afternoon,  with  these  conveyances.  The  three 
weeks  that  had  elapsed  since  their  relief  had  done  wonders 
for  them,  and  they  were  now  full  of  fun  and  life. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  pack  us  away  in  those  big  boxes  with 
out  windows  or  openings  of  any  sort  ? " 

"  I  certainly  do  not,"  Rex  said,  "  I  shall  put  a  mattress 
on  that  projection  behind  them,  and  you  will  ride  there  quite 
comfortably.  To-morrow  morning  I  will  buy  some  thick 


CONCLUSION  349 

cloth  or  canvas,  and  you  can  sew  it  together  and  make  a 
little  tent.  It  will  only  require  to  be  high  enough  to  allow 
you  to  crawl  into  it,  and  wide  enough  to  enable  you  to  ride 
side  by  side." 

The  next  morning  Rex's  purchases  were  packed  in  the 
three  carts.  This  was  done  with  great  care,  'and  when  it  was 
finished  they  had  nothing  more  to  attend  to.  They  had 
practically  110  personal  baggage,  for  the  girls  had  only  the 
clothes  they  stood  in  and  a  change,  most  of  which  they  had 
made  for  themselves  on  their  arrival  at  Pekin.  In  the 
interval  before  starting,  therefore,  they  went  round  bidding 
good-bye  to  all  the  friends  they  had  made  during  the 
siege. 

"What  are  you  all  going  to  do?"  Rex  asked  his  friend 
Sandwich. 

"  I  have  not  the  least  idea,  and  I  don't  suppose  anyone 
else  has.  They  can  hardly  expect  us  to  begin  work  again 
until  everything  is  settled.  In  a  short  time,  however,  I  sup 
pose  we  shall  get  so  accustomed  to  this  sort  of  thing  that  we 
shall  really  prefer  being  at  work  again  to  doing  nothing. 
Possibly  they  may  move  the  college  down  to  Tientsin,  or 
even  to  Shanghai,  but  I  should  think  it  would  be  better  to 
keep  it  here.  We  may  feel  pretty  certain  of  one  thing,  that 
when  peace  is  once  established  the  guard  for  the  Legations 
will  be  much  stronger  than  before.  In  that  case  I  don't  see 
why  the  college  should  not  remain  here.  Of  course  it  will  be 
rather  hard  at  first  to  settle  down  to  grinding  away  at  the 
language  after  all  the  excitement  of  the  past  three  months. 
If,  as  the  result  of  the  negotiations,  more  ports  are  thrown 
open,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  us,  for  of  course  more 
officials  will  be  required.  As  one  of  the  seniors,  I  should  be 
pretty  sure  to  get  a  berth,  whereas  I  might  have  to  wait  for 
two  or  three  years  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things." 


350  WITH   THE    ALLIES   TO    PEKIN 

"  Well,  if  you  do  come  down  to  Tientsin  for  a  run,  I  expect 
that  you  will  find  me  there,  Sandwich,  and  in  that  case  you 
must  make  our  place  your  home.  Of  course  I  have  no  idea 
of  what  my  father  will  do.  It  is  quite  on  the  cards  that  he 
may  decide  to  go  home  for  a  bit.  Business  will  certainly  be 
at  a  stand-still  for  a  long  time,  and  he  may  take  advantage 
of  the  lull  to  run  home  for  a  year  or  two.  Whether  I  shall 
stay  at  Tientsin  or  not  is,  of  course,  equally  uncertain.  This 
row  has  so  completely  turned  everything  topsy-turvy  that  I 
have  no  idea  what  will  come  of  it." 

In  the  evening  Rex  called  upon  the  Minister  to  tell  him 
that  he  was  going  down  with  the  convoy. 

"  You  are  quite  right  to  do  so,  Mr.  Bateman ;  there  is  no 
chance  of  any  further  fighting  here,  and  you  will  naturally 
wish  to  be  with  your  family  at  Tientsin.  If  you  will  sit 
down  for  a  few  minutes  I  will  write  'a  sort  of  testimonial 
saying  how  valuable  have  been  your  services  here.  I  don't 
say  that  such  a  testimonial  will  be  of  value  to  you  as  a  mer 
chant;  still,  it  may  be  of  use,  and  in  any  case  it  will  be 
something  to  be  proud  of  'and  a  record  of  your  doings  during 
the  troubles." 

Sir  Claude  went  into  an  inner  room  and  dictated  a  letter 
to  his  secretary.  On  his  return  he  handed  the  document  to 
Rex,  who  thanked  him  very  heartily,  saying  that  it  was  a 
testimonial  that  he  should  be  proud  of  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
At  an  early  hour  next  morning  the  convoy  of  wounded  and 
sick,  and  women  and  children,  left  Pekin.  The  girls  were 
seated  on  a  mattress  behind  the  first  of  the  three  carts.  Rex 
had  bought  two  great  umbrellas  which  shaded  them  from  the 
sun's  rays.  They  had  with  them  a  basket  containing  fruits, 
meat,  and  bread.  Swinging  under  the  body  of  the  cart  was 
a  hamper  containing  charcoal,  a  tea-pot,  plates,  cups 
and  saucers,  and  tea,  and  slung  beside  it  was  the  little 


CONCLUSION  351 

tent  that  the  girls  made,  with  the  sticks  for  its  sup 
port. 

To  the  girls  the  journey  was  most  enjoyable.  There  was 
practically  no  fear  of  trouble,  for  after  the  capture  of  Pekin 
strong  parties  had  been  sent  down  and  had  dispersed  the 
Boxers  along  the  line  of  railway.  Still,  there  was  the  risk 
that  they  might  fall  in  with  isolated  bands  to  add  interest 
to  the  march.  At  times  they  got  down  and  walked,  joining 
one  or  other  of  the  friends  they  had  made  during  the  siege. 
Of  an  evening  they  made  tea  and  generally  had  little  parties, 
as  their  friends  in  turn  looked  in  upon  them.  Still,  they 
were  not  sorry  when,  on  the  fifth  day  after  starting,  Tientsin 
came  in  sight. 

Their  arrival  excited  the  liveliest  pleasure  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bateman.  Their  aunt  cried  a  good  deal  over 
the  two  girls  whom  at  one  time  she  believed  she  would  never 
see  again. 

After  the  first  excitement  was  over,  and  while  the 
girls  were  giving  their  aunt  a  lively  account  of  their 
adventures,  Rex  and  his  father  discussed  the  question  of  the 
business. 

"  Your  mother  and  I  have  been  talking  matters  over,"  Mr. 
Bateman  said.  "  It  is  absolutely  certain  that  many  months 
at  any  rate  must  pass  before  there  is  any  revival  of  trade, 
and  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  useless 
for  us  to  remain  here.  I  should  leave  Thompson  and  the  two 
clerks  to  keep  the  place  open  and  look  after  things  until  your 
uncle  and  I  agree  that  business  can  be  started  again.  We 
shall,  of  course,  take  the  girls  with  us,  and  I  really  don't  see 
that  there  will  be  any  use  in  your  remaining.  You  have  gone 
through  a  very  exciting  time,  and  a  rest  will  do  you  good. 
What  do  you  say  yourself  ? " 

"  I  am  ready  to  do  whatever  you  think  best,  Father.     I 


352  WITH   THE   ALLIES   TO   PEKIN 

don't  feel  any  the  worse  for  the  three  months'  excitement,  but 
I  think  it  would  certainly  be  slow  here  if  you  were  all  gone. 
I  suppose  you  will  come  out  again  yourself  when  things  begin 
again." 

"  Certainly  I  shall,  but  I  don't  think  your  mother  will. 
But,  of  course,  all  that  we  will  chat  over  with  your  uncle. 
My  own  idea  is  that  I  shall  come  out  with  you  for  a  couple 
of  years,  by  which  time  you  ought  to  know  enough  of  the 
business  to  take  charge  of  it,  especially  as  Thompson  is  fairly 
well  up  in  it.  But,  as  I  have  said,  all  that  is  a  matter  for 
after-consideration.  I  feel  that  I  have  certainly  earned  a 
rest,  having  been  out  here  ten  years  without  a  break.  As  for 
you,  this  will  certainly  be  a  dreary  place  for  at  least  a  year, 
for  it  will  be  two  or  three  years  before  it  entirely  recovers 
from  the  blow.  You  will  not  be  without  something  to  do  in 
England,  because  you  will  go  into  your  uncle's  office  and  will 
learn  a  good  deal  of  the  details  of  the  business,  price  of  the 
goods,  and  so  on." 

"Well,  in  that  case,  Father,  I  certainly  think  I  should 
much  rather  go  home  with  you.  If  I  could  be  of  any  use 
here,  I  would  willingly  stop,  but  there  can  be  no  return  of 
trade  until  a  treaty  has  been  made  and  the  troops  have  all 
left  the  country,  and  that  will  be  at  least  a  year,  perhaps  a 
good  deal  more." 

"  Very  well,  then,  that  is  settled.  Just  at  present  there 
are  plenty  of  steamers  going  down  to  Shanghai,  and  I  see 
no  reason  why  we  should  not  be  off  in  a  week.  For  many 
reasons  I  think  the  sooner  we  leave  the  better.  The  girls 
have  gone  through  a  terrible  time  for  the  past  three  or  four 
months,  and  although  they  look  better  than  could  have  been 
expected  they  must  have  been  terribly  shaken.  Quiet  and  a 
long  sea  voyage  will,  I  hope,  set  them  up  again.  Shattered 
as  the  settlement  is,  goods  may  still  be  obtained,  and  I  have 


CONCLUSION  353 

no   doubt   that  they  can   get   everything   requisite   for   the 
voyage  in  the  course  of  a  week." 

Accordingly,  ten  days  later,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bateman,  with 
their  nieces,  Rex,  and  Ah  Lo — who  refused  positively  Mr. 
Bateman's  offer  to  set  him  up  comfortably  in  a  farm  in  his 
native  village — sailed  together  for  Europe. 


THE  END 


A    LIST    OF    BOOKS 

FOR 

YOUNG    PEOPLE 

By    G.    A.    HENTY 


WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO   PEKIN 

A    Tale    of   the    Relief  of  the    Legations.     Illustrated  by 

WAL  PA<;ET.  $1.20  net  (postage,  160.). 
In  this  book  the  writer  re-tells  the  story  of  the  Siege  of 
Pekin  in  a  way  that  is  sure  to  grip  the  interest  of  his  young 
readers.  The  experience  of  Rex  Bateman,  the  son  of  an 
English  merchant  at  'Tientsin,  and  of  his  cousins,  two  girls 
whom  Rex  rescues  from  the  Boxers  just  after  the  first  out 
break,  offer  a  variety  of  heroic  incident  sufficient  to  fire  the 
loyalty  of  the  most  indifferent  lad. 


THROUGH  THREE  CAMPAIGNS 

A  Story  of  Chitral,    Toial,   and  Ashanti.     Illustrated  by 

WAL  PAGET.  $1.20  net  (postage,  i6c.). 
The  exciting  story  of  a  boy's  adventures  in  the  British 
Army,  first  as  a  private  in  the  native  troops  in  India,  later 
as  an  officer  in  the  Ashanti  campaign.  Lisle  Bullen,  left 
an  orphan  by  the  loss  of  his  father,  who  was  mortally 
wounded  in  a  minor  expedition  against  one  of  the  hill 
tribes,  is  to  be  sent  home  by  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  on 
the  eve  of  the  Chitral  campaign.  The  boy's  patriotism 
compels  him,  instead,  to  secretly  join  the  regiment  as  a 
private.  In  this  capacity  he  early  distinguishes  himself  for 
conspicuous  bravery.  His  disguise  is  soon  discovered  and 
his  promotions  in  the  service  follow  rapidly,  each  won  by 
some  heroic  act. 

CHARLES      SCRIBNER'S      SONS 

X53-J57  Fifth  Avenue  -•  -  New  York 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BY  C.  A.  HENTY 

"  Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands 
in  the  very  first  rank." — Academy  (London). 


THE   TREASURE    OF   THE   INCAS 

A  Tale  of  Adventure  in  Peru.     "With  8  full-page  Illustrations 

by  WAL  PAGET,  and  Map.     $1.20  net. 

Peru  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her  ancient  kings  offer  Mr.  Henty  a 
most  fertile  field  for  a  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  his  most  engaging 
style.  In  an  effort  to  win  the  girl  of  his  heart,  the  hero  penetrates  into 
the  wilds  of  the  land  of  the  Incas.  Boys  who  have  learned  to  look  for 
Mr.  Henty's  books  will  follow  his  new  hero  in  his  adventurous  and 
romantic  expedition  with  absorbing  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cap 
tivating  tales  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written. 

WITH  KITCHENER  IN  THE  SOUDAN 

A  Story  of  Atbara  and  Omdurman.     With  10  full-page  Illus 
trations.    $1. 20  net. 

Mr.  Henty  has  never  combined  history  and  thrilling  adventure  more 
skillfully  than  in  this  extremely  interesting  story.  It  is  not  in  boy  nat 
ure  to  lay  it  aside  unfinished,  once  begun ;  and  finished,  the  reader  finds 
himself  in  possession,  not  only  of  the  facts  and  the  true  atmosphere  of 
Kitchener's  famous  Soudan  campaign,  but  of  the  Gordon  tragedy  which 
preceded  it  by  so  many  years  and  of  which  it  was  the  outcome. 

WITH  THE  BRITISH  LEGION 

A  Story  of  the  Carlist  Uprising  of  1836.     Illustrated.     $1.20 

net. 

Arthur  Hallet,  a  young  English  boy,  finds  himself  in  difficulty  at 
home,  through  certain  harmless  school  escapades,  and  enlists  in  the 
famous  "British  Legion,"  which  was  then  embarking  for  Spain  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  to  repress  the  Carlist  uprising  of  1836.  Arthur 
shows  his  mettle  in  the  first  fight,  distinguishes  himself  by  daring  work 
in  carrying  an  important  dispatch  to  Madrid,  makes  a  dashing  and 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  sister  of  his  patron,  and  is  rapidly  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain.  In  following  the  adventures  of  the  hero  the  reader  ob 
tains,  as  is  usual  with  Mr.  Hentv's  stories,  a  most  accurate  and  interest 
ing  history  of  a  picturesque  campaign. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUXG    PEOPLE 


STORIES    BY    G.    A.    HENTY 

"  His  books  have  at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance.  "-Journal  of  Education. 


TO  HERAT   AND   CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan   War.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     With 
Illustrations.      12mo,  $1.20  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that 
in  the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of 
this  book,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  com 
pelled  to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely 
interesting  one,  from  his  boyhood  in' Persia;  his  employment  underthe 
Government  at  Herat;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the 
Persians;  to  Cabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in 
the  awful  march  through  the  Passes  from  which  but  one  man  escaped. 
Angus  is  always  at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in 
hazardous  expeditions  shows  how  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of 
resources,  can  do,  even  with  so  treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and 
adventures  are  thrilling,  and  his  escapes  marvellous. 

WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Tale  of  the  South  African  War.     By  G.  A  HENTY.     With  12 

Illustrations.     $1.20  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  a 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad 
ventures  of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Roberts's  campaign  to  Preto 
ria.  Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything 
but  dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Tale  of  the  Mahratta  War.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     Illustrated. 
12mo,  $1.20  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  dan 
gerous.  The  story  of  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  bis  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  his 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people  and  brought  him 
up  as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and,  having:  told  him 
his  parentage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  he  ob 
tained  a  commission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
Mahratta  tongue  combined  with  his  ability" and  bravery  enabled  him  to 
render  great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  him,  through 
many  frightful  perils  by  laud  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.   Henty  might  with  entire  propriety  be  called  the  boys' Sir 
Walter  Scott.  "—Philadelphia  Press. 


IN  THE   IRISH   BRIGADE 

A  Tale  of  War  in  Flanders  and  Spain.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in 
curred  the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  aud  his  perils  are  of  ab 
sorbing  interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
laud,  he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aid-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan 
ders.  Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assassinated, but 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  story  is  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 

OUT   WITH   GARIBALDI 

A   Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     With 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  RAINEY,  R.I.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  follow  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  scouting,  in 
battle,  and  in  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

WITH    BULLER   IN  NATAL 

Or,  A  Born  Leader.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  RAINEY.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts.  In 
this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at,  Glencoe,  then  in  Ladysmith, 
then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  adventures. 
They  were  in  great  battles  aud  in  lonely  tights  on  the  Veldt ;  were 
taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most  valuable  service 
to  the  English  forces.  T:.e  story  is  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the 
War  in  South  Africa. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any 
man  living."—  The  Times. 


WON   BY   THE   SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON,  and  four  Plans.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  France,  during  the  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero.  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Army.  How  he  at 
tracted  the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde ; 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tells  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

A   ROVING   COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.     With  12  Illus 
trations  by  WILLIAM  RAINEY.     12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling  adven 
tures  on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty's  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  1'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

NO   SURRENDER 

The    Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  Vendee.     With  8  Illustrations 
by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vendee  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh 
Stansfield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con 
flict.  Forming  a  company  of  boys  as  scouts  for  the  Vende"an  Army, 
he  greatly  aids  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  sister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vende"e  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 
A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by  WAL 
PAGET.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing  hero  of  this  book,  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty's  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  "  Minho  "  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  in  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys."— Sword  and  Trowd. 


AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WILLIAM  RAINEY,  and  3  Plans.  12mo, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  eon  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
Into  the  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye- witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.  With  13  full-page  Illus 
trations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Gleudower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  sent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  was  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.     With  12  full-page  Illustra 
tions.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances 
and  perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the 
staff  of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in 
one  of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned, 
he  both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.     With  8  full-page  Illustra 
tions  by  W.  H.  MARGETSON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he 
is  thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit. 


BOOKS    FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  is  there  which  Mr.  Hentydoes  not 
know,  and  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and 
interestingly." — New  York  Times. 


WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra 
tions  by  WAL  PAGET.  19m  o,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  is  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Con 
nor  of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the 
Peninsular  war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being  ordered  to  Spain, 
Terence  gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By 
his  bravery  and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded 
by  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered 
great  service. 

AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WALTER  PAGET.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Aylmer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
•white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from 
the  city,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
MARGETSON.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  etory  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  With  8  full  page  Illus 
trations  by  W.  H.  OVEREND.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese 
rivers,  goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah 
against  England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences 
and  narrow  escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen 
men  he  rescues  his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the 
flight  they  are  besieged  in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  is  a  master  of  this 
method  of  composition." — New  York  Times. 


THROUGH   RUSSIAN  SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow.  With  8  fun- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  OVEREND  and  3  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  in  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rearguard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 

A   KNIGHT   OF    THE  WHITE   CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes.  With  12  full -page  Illustra 
tions  by  RALPH  PEACOCK,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub 
sequently  he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  in  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

THE  TIGER   OF   MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Saib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  MARGETSON,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  be  a  captive  of  Tippoo 
Saib,  goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  againt  Tippoo. 
Afterwards  he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last 
he  discovers  his  father  in  the  great  stronghold  of  Savandroog.  The 
hazardous  rescue  is  at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  f  ellow'e 
dangerous  mission  is  done. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  C.  HINDLEY.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  in  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  and  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  Plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
little  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains. 


BOORS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  story-tellers  for  young  people." 

— Spectator. 


WHEN   LONDON   BURNED 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  his 
estates  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  Commonwealth.  During  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Great  Fire,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those 
who  brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and 
becomes  one  of  his  retinue.  When  Harold  becomes  King  of  England 
Wulf  assists  in  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen 
at  the  Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge.  When  William  of  Normandy  in 
vades  England,  Wulf  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  stands 
by  his  king  to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  II.  J.  DRAPER,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Eletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis 
tinguishes  himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  and  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjaub.  By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
VYith  12  full-page  illustrations  by  HAL  HURST,  and  a 
Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUXQ   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the 
boys. — Christian  Leader. 


A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  PAUL  HARDY,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 


foreign  legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in 
several  famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Poles. 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in 
various  political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police 
and  his  exile  to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  ex 
citing  adventures,  he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a 
perilous  journey  which  lasts  nearly  two  years. 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  the  invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea ;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country. 
Ultimately  Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  where  he  is 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he 
returns  to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (182 1-1827).  By 
G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 
STAGEY,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  oppres 
sion.  Mr.  Beverid^e  and  his  sou  Horace  fit  out  a  privateer,  load  it 
with  military  stores,  and  set  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris 
tians,  relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  fight  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than 
Mr.  G.  A.  Henty."— Philadelphia  Press. 


THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  SCHONBERG  and  J.  NASH. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating 
page  for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to 
rescue  General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition 
encountered,  in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic 
disappointments,  are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as 
the  fascination  which  belongs  to  real  events. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  '•  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy  ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
frontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  most  memorable  sieges  in  history— 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined 
resources  of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged 
and  bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in 
Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is 
through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  re 
source,  and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


NOTE.— For  a  list  of  Henty  Books  at  popular  prices,  see  the 
following  page. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


By  G.  A.  HENTY 

The    following    copyrighted     Henty    Books    are 
also    issued   in   a   cheap    edition 


IN  FREEDOM'S   CAUSE 

WITH  LEE  IN 

VIRGINIA 

WITH  WOLFE    IN 

CANADA 

THE  LION  OF  ST.  MARK 

IN  THE  REIGN  OF 

TERROR 

NO  SURRENDER 

UNDER  WELLING 
TON'S  COMMAND 

WITH  FREDERICK 

THE  GREAT 

AT  ABOUKIR  AND 

ACRE 

BOTH   SIDES  THE 

BORDER 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

WITH  MOORE  AT 

CORUNNA 

AT  AGINCOURT 

COCHRANE  THE 

DAUNTLESS 

ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 


THROUGH  RUSSIAN 

SNOWS 

A  KNIGHT  OF  THE 

WHITE  CROSS 

THE  TIGER  OF 

MYSORE 

IN  THE  HEART  OF 

THE  ROCKIES 

WHEN  LONDON 

BURNED 

WULF  THE    SAXON 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S 
EVE 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH 
WAR 

A  JACOBITE    EXILE 

CONDEMNED  AS  A 

NIHILIST 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 
IN  GREEK  WATERS 

THE  DASH    FOR 

KHARTOUM 

REDSKIN  AND  COW 
BOY 

HELD  FAST  FOR 

ENGLAND 


TWO  BOOKS  FOR  BOYS 

By 

CAPTAIN  BRERETON 

Captain  Brereton's  stories  for  boys  rank,  in 
England,  with  Mr.  Henty's.  The  t\vo  books 
here  announced  are  the  first  to  be  published  in 
this  country,  and  it  is  hoped  they  will  be  received, 
by  the  young-  people  on  this  side  the  sea,  with 
equal  favor.  Captain  Brereton,  like  Mr.  Henty, 
builds  up  stirring  tales  of  adventure  against  a 
background  of  fact,  and  he  is  equally  skillful  in 
the  construction  of  his  exciting  plots  and  the 
reconstruction  of  a  true  historical  atmosphere. 
His  books  deserve  here  the  great  popularity 
they  enjoy  in  England. 


IN  THE  GRIP  OF  THE  MULLAH 

By  CAPTAIN  F.  S.  BRERETON 

Illustrated.     $1.20  net  (postage,  i6c.). 

FOES  OF  THE  RED  COCKADE 

By  CAPTAIN   F.   S.  BRERETON 
Illustrated.     $1.20  net  (postage,  i6c.). 


BOYS    OF    THE    SERVICE    SERIES 

By    CYRUS    TOWNSEND    BRADY 


IN    THE   WAR   WITH    MEXICO 

A  Midshipman's  Adventures  on  Ship  and  Shore.  By 
CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY.  Illustrated  by  W.  T. 
AYLWARD.  $1.20  net  (postage,  140.). 

This  stirring  story  of  war  and  adventure,  the  second  to 
appear  in  the  BOYS  OF  THE  SERVICE  SERIES,  has 
a  vivid  historical  setting  of  uncommon  interest.  The 
amusing  and  exciting  experiences  of  Midshipman  Ned 
Dentcn,  son  of  Ned  Denton  of  the  Wasp's  Nest,  and  his 
two  sailor  comrades,  ashore  as  well  as  afloat,  afford,  also, 
a  striking  panorama  of  our  war  with  Mexico ;  and  it  is  a 
question  whether  his  experiences  aboard  the  U.  S.  S. 
Somers,  with  the  story  of  the  mutiny  and  the  account  of 
her  wreck,  or  his  march  with  Scott  upon  the  City  of 
Mexico,  are  the  more  absorbing.  The  reader  meets,  in 
the  beginnings  of  their  careers,  Grant,  Lee,  McClellan, 
Beauregard,  Kearney,  and  other  famous  generals  of  a  later 
period,  and  Mr.  Brady  pictures  them  graphically  and  truly. 
It  is  a  book  deeply  to  interest  any  boy,  not  only  in  the 
story  but  in  the  period  and  the  history. 


IN     THE     WASP'S     NEST 

By  CYRUS  TOWNSEND    BRADY.      Illustrated  by  RUFUS  F. 
JOGBAUM.     $1.20  net  (postage,  i4c.). 

"When  Cyrus  Townsend  Brady  sets  out  to  tell  a  story 
of  adventure  and  fighting  at  sea  it  can  be  depended  on  as 
a  breezy  narrative  that  will  stir  the  pulses  of  the  reader 
who  enjoys  that  kind  of  tale.  If  addressed  particularly  to 
boys,  there  is  a  feast  in  prospect  to  all  boys  of  healthy 
natures.  '  In  the  Wasp's  Nest '  is  a  rattling  good  story  of 
this  kind." — Cleveland  Plain  Dealer. 

This  is  a  story  of  the  War  of  1812  in  which  the  young 
hero  serves  successively  on  two  famous  American  ships 
bearing  the  name  of  Wasp. 


A  NEW  BOOK  BY  PAUL  DU 
CHAILLU 


IN  AFRICAN  FOREST  AND  JUNGLE 

By  PAUL  Du  CHAILLU.  With  24  Illustrations  by  VICTOR 
PERARD.  $1.50  net  (postage,  i6c.). 

The  last  book  of  the  late  Paul  Du  Chaillu  is  an  account 
of  adventures  in  the  Dark  Continent  where  he  won  his 
first  fame.  It  describes  a  visit  to  the  country  of  Chief 
Rotembo,  and  the  great  traveler's  young  readers  will  find  it 
full  of  exciting  and  romantic  interest.  In  the  depths  of 
the  Great  Forest  the  author  and  the  hunters  given  him  by 
Rotembo  build  a  fortified  camp  that  forms  the  center  from 
which  they  make  many  adventurous  excursions,  often  ac 
companied  by  their  famous  hunting  dog,  Nndekko,  and 
the  tame  monkey,  Nndova,  who  decoys  troops  of  his 
species  within  range  of  their  guns.  They  encounter  and 
slay  all  kinds  of  animals  —  gorillas,  elephants,  leopards, 
antelopes,  and  others — get  lost  in  the  forest,  and  meet  with 
natives  whose  curious  customs  and  superstitions  are  graphi 
cally  described. 

KING  MOMBO 

By  PAUL  Du  CHAILLU.  Author  of  "The  World  of  the 
Great  Forest,"  etc.  With  24  Illustrations.  $1.50 
net  (postage,  i6c.). 

The  scene  is  the  great  African  forest.  It  is  a  book  of 
interesting  experiences  with  native  tribes,  and  thrilling  and 
perilous  adventures  in  hunting  elephants,  crocodiles,  go 
rillas,  and  other  fierce  creatures  among  which  this  famous 
explorer  lived  so  long. 


BOOKS  FOR  TO  UNO  PEOPLE 


A  List  of  Books  by 
Kirk  Munroe 


A  SON  OF  SATSUMA 

Or,  with  Perry  in  Japan.     By  KIKK  MUNROE.     With  12  illus 
trations  by  HARRY  G.  EDWARDS.     $1.00  net. 

This  absorbing  story  for  boys  deals  with  one  of  the  most  interesting 
episodes  in  our  National  history.  From  the  beginning  Japan  has  been  a 
land  of  mystery.  Foreigners  were  permitted  to  land  only  at  certain 
points  on  her  shores,  and  nothing  whatever  was  known  of  her  civilization 
and  history,  her  romance  and  magnificence,  her  wealth  and  art.  It  was 
Commodore  Perry  who  opened  her  gates  to  the  world,  thus  solving  the 
mystery  of  the  ages,  and,  in  this  thrilling  story  of  an  American  boy  in 
Japan  at  that  period,  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  history  of  this  great 
achievement  is  ably  set  forth. 


IN  PIRATE  WATERS 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Navy.     Illustrated  by  I.  W.  TABEB. 
12ino,  $1.25. 

The  hero  of  the  story  becomes  a  midshipman  in  the  navy  just  at  the 
time  of  the  war  with  Tripoli.  His  own  wild  adventures  among  the 
Turks  and  his  love  romance  are  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the  stirring 
history  of  that  time. 


WITH  CROCKETT  AND  BOWIE 

Or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  Flag.     A  Tale  of  Texas.     By 
KIRK  MUNROE.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  VICTOR 
Crown  8vo.     $1.25. 


The  story  is  of  the  Texas  revolution  in  1835,  when  American  Texans 
under  Sam  Houston,  Bowie,  Crockett,  and  Travis  fought  for  relief  from 
the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  Mexican  Santa  Ana.  The  hero,  Rex 
Hardin,  son  of  a  Texan  ranchman  and  graduate  of  an  American  military 
school,  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  heroic  defense  of  the  Alamo,  and 
the  final  triumph  at  San  Jacinto. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOILVG  PEOPLE 


BY  KIRK  MUNROE 

THROUGH  SWAMP  AND  GLADE 

A  Tale  of  the  Seminole  War.  By  KIRK  MUNROE,  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations'  by  V.  PKRARD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

Coacoochee,  the  hero  of  the  story,  is  the  son  of  Philip,  the  chieftain  of 
the  Seminoles.  He  grows  up  to  lead  his  tribe  in  the  long  struggle  which 
resulted  in  the  Indians  being  driven  from  the  north  of  Florida  down  to 
the  distant  southern  wilderness. 

AT  WAR  WITH  PONTIAC 

Or,  the  Totem  of  the  Bear.  A  Tale  of  Kedcout  and  Redskin. 
By  KIRK  MUNROE.  With  8  full-page  illustrations  by  J. 
FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo,  §1.25. 

A  story  when  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  were  held  by  hostile  Indians. 
The  hero,  Donald  Hester,  goes  in  search  of  his  sister  Edith,  who  has 
been  captured  by  the  Indians.  Strange  and  terrible  are  his  experiences ; 
for  he  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  condemned  to  be  burned,  but  contrives 
to  escape.  In  the  end  all  things  terminate  happily. 


THE  WHITE  CONQUERORS 

A  Tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.     By  KIRK  MUNROE.    With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

This  story  deals  with  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortez  and  his  Span 
iards,  the  "White  Conquerors,"  who,  after  many  deeds  of  valor,  pushed 
their  way  into  the  great  Aztec  kingdom  and  established  their  power  in 
the  wondrous  city  where  Montezuma  reigned  in  splendor. 


MIDSHIPMAN    STUART 

Or,  the  Last  Cruise  of  the  Essex.      A  Tale  of  the  War  of 
1812.     Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25. 

This  is  an  absorbing  story  of  life  in  the  American  Navy  during  the 
stirring  times  of  our  war  of  1812.  The  very  spirit  of  the  period  is  in  its 
pages,  and  many  of  the  adventures  of  the  Essex  are  studied  from  history. 


TWO    NEW    BOOKS    FOR    YOUNG 
PEOPLE.       FALL    OF    1903 


THE    STORY    OF    KING    ARTHUR 
AND    HIS    KNIGHTS 

By  HOWARD  PYLE,  author  of  "  Robin  Hood,"  etc.     Pro 
fusely  illustrated  by  the  author.     8vo,  about  $2.50  net. 

For  hundreds  of  years  the  legend  of  King  Arthur  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Round  Table  has  been  one  of  the  most 
precious  possessions  in  the  world's  storehouse  of  romance. 
Mr.  Howard  Pyle,  whose  "  Robin  Hood"  has  long  been 
a  juvenile  classic,  in  the  story  of  King  Arthur  and  His 
Knights  gives  to  the  old  legend  an  entirely  fresh  charm. 
Told  in  the  same  style  which  distinguished  his  "Robin 
Hood,"  produced  in  the  same  handsome  binding,  and 
profusely  illustrated  with  Mr.  Pyle's  characteristic  drawings, 
this  legend  of  never-ending  interest  seems  more  attractive 
and  enthralling  than  ever  before.  While  for  young  people  it 
promises  to  be  even  more  popular  than  "Robin  Hood," 
older  readers  will  find  it  equally  absorbing.  It  is  certainly 
the  most  important  book  of  the  year  for  young  readers. 


MY    WONDERFUL    VISIT 

By  ELIZABETH  HILL.   Illustrated,  $1.20  net  (postage,  i4c.). 

Miss  Hill  is  a  new  writer,  but  a  born  one.  None  of  her 
predecessors  has  possessed  more  signally  that  rarest  of  gifts 
which  enables  the  owner  to  see  into  the  mind  of  the  child 
and  write  about  children  from  within.  She  knows  in 
stinctively  how  a  child  thinks  and  feels  and  acts.  Her 
little  people  are  portrayed  with  the  utmost  sympathy 
and  made  to  portray  themselves  with  a  delightful  and  con 
vincing  inadvertence.  Her  touch  strikingly  recalls  that 
which  won  its  fame  for  the  famous  "  Little  Women."  This 
story  describes  the  simple  experiences  of  a  little  city  girl 
during  a  vacation  in  the  country,  but  with  a  charm  and 
humor  and  verisimilitude  that  give  the  book  a  very  marked 
individuality. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOYOUS  CHILDREN 

By    JAMES    WHITCOMB    RILEY.        Profusely      Illustrated 

by  WILL  VAWTER.  $1.20  net  (postage,  ioc.). 
The  sweetness,  the  grace,  the  laughter,  and  the  tender 
ness  of  Mr.  Ri ley's  best  verse  are  found  to  the  full  in  this 
book  of  delightful  poems  for  and  about  children.  The 
illustrations  have  been  made  under  the  author's  supervision, 
and  portray  the  scenes  and  the  little  heroes  and  heroines 
of  the  poems  with  artistic  fidelity. 

A  CAPTURED  SANTA  GLAUS 

By  THOMAS  NELSON  PAGE.     Illustrated  in  Colors.      i2mo. 

75  cents. 

This  exquisite  story  of  childhood  is  one  of  the  most  deli 
cate  that  even  Mr.  Page  has  written.  It  is  an  episode  of 
the  Civil  War  in  which  children  are  the  little  heroes.  The 
period  is  the  Christmas  time,  and  the  scene  is  between  the 
lines  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies. 


ROB  AND  HIS  GUN 

By   WILLIAM   ALEXANDER    LINN.       With  8   Illustrations. 

$1.00  net  (postage,  ioc.). 

The  adventures  of  a  boy  with  a  gun  under  the  instruc 
tion  of  his  cousin,  an  accomplished  sportsman.  The  book's 
aim  is  to  interest  boys  in  hunting  in  the  spirit  of  true  sport 
and  to  instruct  in  the  ways  of  game  birds  and  animals. 

WHAT  A   GIRL    CAN     MAKE    AND 
DO:  New  Ideas  for  Work  and  Play 

By  LINA  BEARD  and  ADELIA  B.  BEARD.     Authors  of  "  The 
American  Girl's  Handy  Book."    Profusely  Illustrated. 
Square  8vo.    $1.60  net  (postage  i6c.). 
An  admirable  collection  of  entirely  new  and  original  in 
door  and  outdoor  pastimes  for  American  girls,  each  fully 
and  interestingly  described  and  explained,  and  all  designed 
to  stimulate  the  taste  and  ingenuity  at  the  same  time  that 
they  entertain. 


SEA  FIGHTERS   FROM   DRAKE  TO 
FARRAGUT 

By  JESSIE  PEABODY  FROTHINGHAM.     Illustrations  by  REU- 
TERDAHL.     $i.2o  net  (postage,  140.). 

Drake,  Tromp,  De  Reuter,  Tourville,  Suffren,  Paul 
Jones,  Nelson,  and  Farragut  are  the  naval  heroes  here  pict 
ured,  and  each  is  shown  in  some  great  episode  which  illus 
trates  his  personality  and  heroism.  The  book  is  full  of  the 
very  spirit  of  daring  and  adventurous  achievement. 


JEB  HUTTON,  A  GEORGIA  BOY 

By  JAMES  B.   CONNOLLY.     Illustrated   by   M.  J.  BURNS. 
$1.20  net  (postage,  I3C.). 

A  thoroughly  interesting  and  breezy  tale  of  boy-life 
along  the  Savannah  River  by  a  writer  who  knows  boys  and 
who  has  succeeded  in  making  of  the  adventures  of  Jeb  and 
his  friends  a,  story  that  will  keep  his  young  readers  absorbed 
to  the  last  page. 


By  ERNEST  THOMPSON  SETON 

LIVES  OF  THE  HUNTED 

Being  a  true  account  of  the  doings  of  four  quadrupeds  and 
three  birds.  With  200  Illustrations.  $1.75  net 
(postage,  i5c.). 

"  Should  be  put  with  Kipling  and  Hans  Christian  An 
dersen  as  a  classic." — THE  ATHEN^UM  (London). 

WILD  ANIMALS   I  HAVE   KNOWN 

With  200  Illustrations.     Square  i2mo,  $2.00 

Mr.    Ernest   Thompson   Seton's   first   and  most   famous 
book.     More  than  100,000  have  been  sold  so  far. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  ROBERT  LEIGHTON 

'Mr.  Leighton's  place  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  boys'  books." 

—Standard. 


THE  GOLDEN  GALLEON 

Illustrated,  crcmn  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  story  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  just  after  the  defeat  of  the 
Spanish  Armada.  Mr.  Leighton  introduces  in  liis  work  the  great  sea- 
tighters  of  Plymouth  town — Hawkins,  Drake,  Raleigh,  and  Richard 
Greuville. 

OLAF  THE  GLORIOUS 

With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  of  Olaf,  King  of  Norway,  opens  with  his  being  found  living 
as  a  bond-slave  in  Esthonia,  and  follows  him  through  his  romantic 
youth  in  Russia.  Then  come  his  adventures  as  a  Viking,  his  raids  upon 
the  coasts  of  Scotland  and  England,  and  his  conversion  to  Christianity. 
He  returns  to  Norway  as  king,  and  converts  his  people  to  the  Christian 
faith. 

WRECK  OF  "THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE" 

The  Story  of  a  North  Sea  Fisher-boy.  With  8  full  page  Illustra 
tions  by  FRANK  BRANGWYN.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  parson's  son  who  is  apprenticed  on  board  a  Lowestoft 
fishing  lugger.  The  lad  suffers  many  bullets  from  his  shipmates,  while 
the  storms  and  dangers  which  he  braved  are  set  forth  with  intense  power. 

THE  THIRSTY  SWORD 

A  Story  of  the  Norse  Invasion  of  Scotland  (1262-63).  WTith 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PKARSE,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8v'o,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  tells  how  Roderick  Mac  Alpin,  the  sea-rover,  came  to  the 
Isle  of  Bute;  how  he  slew  his  brothei  in  RothesayiCastle;  how  the  earl's 
eldest  son  was  likewise  slain;  how  young  Kennc  now  became  king  of 
Bute,  and  vowed  vengeance  asrainst  the  slayer  of  his  brother  and  father, 
and  finally,  how  this  vow  was  kept,  when  Kenric  and  the  murderous 
sea-rover  met  at  midnight  and  ended  their  feud  in  one  last  great  fight. 

THE  PILOTS  OF  POMONA 

A  Story  of  the  Orkney  Islands.  With  8  fu]l-page  Illustrations 
by  JOHN  LEIGHTON,  and  a  Map.  Crown  bvo,  olivine  edges. 
$1.50. 

Halcro  Ericson,  the  hero,  happens  upon  many  exciting  adventures 
and  hard  experiences,  through  which  he  carries  himself  with  quiet 
courage.  The  story  gives  a  vivid  presentation  of  life  in  these  far 
northern  islands. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


AN  ANIMAL  ABC 

A  Humorous  Alphabet.  By  H.  B.  NETLSON.  4to,  $1.00.  With 
24  pages  of  Illustrations  in  two  colors  and  24  pages  in 
black  and  white.  Verses  by  "THE  COCKIOLLY  BIRD." 

A  remarkably  attractive  collection  of  spirited  and  original  animal 
pictures  by  an  artist  who  excels  in  this  line. 

ROUNDABOUT  RHYMES 

Written  and  pictured  by  MRS.  PERCY  DEARMER.  Beautifully 
printed.  With  20  full-page  plates  in  colors.  Small  4to. 
$1.00. 

This  book  is  unusually  attractive  in  form,  and  is  admirably  suited 
to  the  youngest  readers.  The  pictures,  together  with  the  delightful 
series  of  half  playful  rhymes  accompanying  them,  have  a  quaint  nur 
sery  air  that  will  render  them  particularly  dear  to  a  child's  heart. 

THE  LITTLE  BROWNS 

By  MABEL  E.  WOLTON.  With  80  Illustrations  by  H.  M. 
BROCK,  and  a  Colored  Frontispiece.  Square  8vo,  gilt  edges, 
$2.00. 

The  Little  Browns  are  a  delightful  set  of  youngsters,  more  than 
usually  individual  and  self-reliant.  During  their  parents'  absence  they 
extend  hospitality  to  a  stranger,  under  the  belief  that  he  is  their  uncle 
from  Australia.  The  supposed  uncle  is  really  a  burglar,  and  by  their 
courage  and  childish  resources  they  outwit  him.  The  Little  Browns  is 
the  work  of  a  true  child-lover. 


BY   CARTON    MOORE    PARK 

A  BOOK  OF  BIRDS 

Profusely  Illustrated  with  full-page  plates,  vignettes,  cover 
design,  etc.,  etc.  Demy  4to  (13  inches  by  10  inches),  $2.00. 

No  artist  has  caught  more  thoroughly  the  individualities  of  the  bird 
world,  or  has  reproduced  them  with  more  lifelike  vivacity  and  charm. 

AN  ALPHABET  OF  ANIMALS 

With  26  full-page  Plates,  a  large  number  of  vignettes,  and 
cover  design  by  CARTON  MOORE  PARK.  Demy  4to  (13 
inches  by  10  inches),  $2.00. 

A  strikingly  artistic  alphabet  book.  Mr.  Park's  drawings  are  marked 
by  extraordinary  boldness  and  vigor  of  treatment ;  but  they  display  in 
addition  a  rare  appreciation  of  the  subtler  characteristics  of  the  animal 
world.  Of  these  individual  traits  Mr.  Park  has  an  intuitive  perception, 
and  his  pictures  may  almost  be  said  to  live  upon  the  page. 


BOOKS   FOR  YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY   DR.   GORDON    STABLES 


COURAGE   TRUE   HEART 

A  Brilliant  New  Story  of  Danger  and  Daring  on  the  Sea.  By 
GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M.  Illustrated,  crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 

A   NAVAL   CADET 

A  Story  of  Adventure  by  Sea.  By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D., 
C.M.  Illustrated,  crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

FOR   LIFE   AND   LIBERTY 

A  Story  of  Battle  by  Land  and  Sea.  By  GORDON  STABLES, 
M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  SIDNEY 
PAQET.  12  mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  an  English  boy  who  rum  from  home  and  joins  the  South 
ern  army  in  the  late  Civil  War.  His  chum  enters  the  navy,  and  their 
various  adventures  are  set  forth  with  great  vigor  and  interest. 

TO   GREENLAND  AND   THE   POLE 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  the  Arctic  Regions.  By  GORDON 
STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
G.  C.  HINDLEY,  and  a  map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  author  is  himself  an  old  Arctic  voyager,  and  he  deals  with  deer- 
hunting  in  Norway,  sealing  in  the  Arctic  Seas,  bear-stalking  on  the 
ice-floes,  the  hardships  of  a  journey  across  Greenland,  and  a  successful 
voyage  to  the  back  of  the  North  Pole. 

WESTWARD   WITH   COLUMBUS 

By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-pago  Illustra 
tions  by  ALFRED  PEARSE.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  Columbus  himself.  His  career  is  traced 
from  boyhood  onward  through  the  many  hazardous  enterprises  in  which 
he  was  at  various  times  engaged.  The  narrative  deals  chiefly,  however, 
with  the  great  naval  venture  which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the 
American  continent. 

'TWIXT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE 

A  Tale  of  Self-reliance.  By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


IN  THE   DICTATOR'S   GRIP 

By  JOHN  SAMSON.    Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25 

A  vigorous  and  telling  story  of  an  Englishman's  adventures  in  the 
Pampas  and  Paraguay. 

JONES  THE   MYSTERIOUS 

By    CHARLES   EDWARDIS.    With  3  Illustrations    by    HAROLD 
COPPING.    12mo,  75  cts. 

A  bright  story  of  English  schoolboy  life,  with  mysterious  happenings 
to  the  hero,  who  has  a  secret  and  weird  "  power,"  bestowed  upon  him 
by  his  East  Indian  bearer. 

THE    HISTORY    OF  GUTTA-PERCHA 
WILLIE 

The  Working  Genius.  By  GEORGE  MACDONALD.  With  8  Illus 
trations  by  ARTHUR  HUGHES.  New  Edition.  12mo,  75  cts. 

WYNPORT  COLLEGE 

A  Story  of  School  Life.  By  FREDERICK  HARRISON.  With  8 
Illustrations  by  HAROLD  COPPING.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  and  his  chums  differ  as  widely  In  character  as  in  personal 
appearance.  We  have  Patrick  O'Fflahertie,  the  good-natured  Irish 
boy ;  Jack  Brookes,  the  irrepressible  humorist ;  Davie  Jackson,  the 
true-hearted  little  lad  on  whose  haps  and  mishaps  the  plot  to  a  great 
extent  turns ;  and  the  hero  himself. 

THE  ROVER'S  SECRET 

A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and  Lagoons  of  Cuba.  By  HARRY 
COLLINGWOOD.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  C. 
SYMONS.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

The  hero  of  "The  Rover's  Secret,"  a  young  officer  of  the  British 
navy,  narrates  his  peculiar  experiences  in  childhood  and  his  subsequent 
perils  and  achivements. 

THE  PIRATE   ISLAND 

A  Story  of  the  South  Pacific.  By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD. 
Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J.  STA.NILAHD  and 
J.  R.  WELLS.  Olivine  edges.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

This  story  details  the  adventures  of  a  lad  who  was  found  in  his  in 
fancy  on  board  a  wreck,  and  is  adopted  by  a  fisherman.  Going  to  sea, 
he  forms  one  of  a  party  who,  after  being  burned  out  of  their  ship, 
are  picked  up  by  a  pirate  brig  and  taken  to  the  "Pirate  Island,"  where 
they  have  many  thrilling  adventures. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN 

DICK   O'   THE   FENS 

A  Romance  of  the  Great  East  Swamp.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  FRANK  DADD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

BROWNSMITH'S     BOY 

With  6  page  Illustrations.     Crown,  Bvo,  $1.00. 

YUSSUF    THE    GUIDE 

Being  the  Strange  Story  of  Travels  in  Asia  Minor.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

THE   GOLDEN   MAGNET 

A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas.  With  12  full-page  pictures  by 
GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

NAT   THE   NATURALIST 

A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.  Illustrated  by  8  full- 
page  Pictures  by  GEORGE  BROWNE.  Crown,  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

QUICKSILVER 

Or.  A  Boy  with  no  Skid  to  his  Wheel.  With  10  full-page  Illus 
trations  by  FRANK  DADD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

DEVON    BOYS 

A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MOTHER   CAREY'S   CHICKEN 

Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.  With  8  full  page  Illustra 
tions.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

BUNYIP  LAND 

The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New  Guinea.  With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

IN  THE   KING'S   NAME 

Or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel.  Illustrated  by  12  full-page  Pic 
tures  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MENHARDOC 

A  Story  of  Cornish  Nets  and  Mines.  With  6  full-page  Illustra 
tions  by  C.  J.  STANILAND.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

PATIENCE   WINS 

Or,  War  in  the  Works.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  $1.00. 


BOOKS  FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD 
THE    LOG    OF    A    PRIVATEERSMAN 

With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.   RAINEY,   R.I.     Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  war  between  Napoleon  and  the  British,  many  privateers  were 
sent  out  from  England  to  seize  and  destroy  the  French  merchant  vessels. 
On  one  of  these  George  Bowen  went  as  second  mate.  Long  distance 
duels  at  sea,  tights  at  close  quarters,  fierce  boarding  attacks,  capture  and 
recapture,  flight  and  pursuit,  storm  and  wreck,  fire  at  sea  and  days  with 
out  food  or  water  in  a  small  boat  on  the  ocean,  are  some  of  the  many 
thrilling  experiences  our  hero  passed  through. 


BY  PROFESSOR  A.  J,  CHURCH 
LORDS    OF    THE    WORLD 

A   story  of  the  Fall  of  Carthage  and   Corinth.     By  Professor 
A.  J.  CHURCH.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH 
PEACOCK.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges  $1.50. 
The  scene  of  this  story  centres  in  the  destruction  of  Carthage  by  the 
Romans.    The  young  hero  is  captured  by  the  Romans,  but  wearing  the 
dress  of  his  twin  sister,  escapes  death.     Entering  the  army  of  Carthage 
he  is  in  the  thick  of  the  long  conflict  and  passes  through  many  thrilling 
adventures. 

BY  S   BARINQ-COULD 
GRETTIR    THE    OUTLAW 

A   story  of  Iceland.      By  S.    BARING-GOULD.     With  10  full- 
page    Illustrations  by   M.   ZENO  DIEMER,  and  a    Colored 
Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
No  boy  will  be  able  to  withstand  the  magic  of  such  scenes  as  the  fight 

of  Grettir  with  twelve  bearserks  and  the  wrestle  with  Karr  the  Old  in 

the  chamber  of  the  dead. 


THE   MISSING  MERCHANTMAN 

By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD.  With  6  full  page  pictures  by  W. 
H.  OVEREND.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

A  fine  Australian  clipper  is  seized  by  the  crew;  the  passengers  are 
landed  on  one  deserted  island,  the  captain  and  a  junior  officer  on  another, 
and  the  young  hero  of  the  story  is  kept  on  board  to  navigate  the  ship, 
which  the  mutineers  refit  as  a  private  vessel. 

THE    CONGO   ROVERS 

A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadron.  By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  SCHONBERG.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

FIGHTING  THE  MATABELE 

By  J.  CHALMERS.  With  6  Illustrations  by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD. 
12mo,  $1.25. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


GOOD  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 


THREE   FAIR   MAIDS 

Or,  The  Burkes  of  Derrymore.  By  KATHARINE  TYWAN.  With 
12  Illustrations  by  G.  D.  HAMMOND.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  of  Irish  country  life.  The  three  fair  maids  are  the  daughters 
of  an  impoverished  Irish  lady.  Sir  Jasper's  disinheritance  of  their 
father  obliged  them  to  give  up  their  great  house,  but  the  family 
is  ultimately  reconciled  with  Uncle  Peter,  who  makes  Elizabeth  his 
heiress. 

THREE   BRIGHT   GIRLS 

A  Story  of  Chance  and  Mischance.     By  ANNIE  E.  ARMSTRONG. 

With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.   PARKINSON.     Crown 

8vo,  $1.25. 

"Among  many  good  stories  for  girls  this  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
very  best." — Teachers'  Aid. 

A   NEWNHAM    FRIENDSHIP 

By  ALICE  STRONACH.  With  6  Illustrations  by  HAROLD  COPPING. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  description  of  life  at  Newnham  College.  Men  students  play  their 
part  in  the  story,  and  the  closing  chapters  describe  the  work  of  some 
of  the  girls  as  "  social  settlers  "  in  the  east  of  London. 

THE   LADY  ISOBEL 

A  Story  for  Girls.  By  ELIZA  F.  POLLARD.  With  4  Illustra 
tions  by  W.  FULTON  BROWN.  12mo,  $1.00. 

A  Tale  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters. 

A   GIRL   OF   TO-DAY 

By  ELLINOR  DAVENPORT  ADAMS.  With  6  page  Illustrations  by 
GERTRUDE  DEMAIN  HAMMOND,  R.I.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

The  boys  and  girls  of  Woodend  band  themselves  together,  and  that 
they  have  plenty  of  fun  is  seen  in  the  shopping  expedition  to  purchase 
stores  for  their  society,  and  in  the  successful  Christmas  entertainment. 
Max  Brenton's  fight  with  Joe  Baker,  the  bully,  shows  that  their  work 
has  its  serious  side  as  well. 

CYNTHIA'S  BONNET  SHOP 

By  ROSA  MULHOLLAND  (Lady  Gilbert).  With  8  Illustrations  by 
C.  D.  HAMMOND,  R.I.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Cynthia,  one  of  three  charming,  lively  sisters  of  an  impoverished 
Connaught  family,  desires  to  make  money  for  the  sake  of  her  delicate 
mother.  If  she  had  only  capital  she  would  open  a  millinery  establish 
ment  in  London.  The  capital  is  mysteriously  supplied,  and  the  secret 
of  the  unknown  benefactor  is  kept  to  the  end. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


GOOD  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 


BY   ETHEL   F.   MEDDLE 

A  MYSTERY  OF  ST.   RULES 

$1.50. 

An  absorbing  novel  for  girls,  the  action  of  which  revolves  round  the 
mystery  of  a  stolen  diamond,  but  is  full  of  delightful  character 
sketches,  and  the  background  of  the  gray  old  city  is  charmingly  filled 
in.  The  mystery  is  well  maintained,  and  the  love  interest  is  strong 
to  the  end. 

AN  ORIGINAL  GIRL 

Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.50. 

A  tale  of  London  and  English  country  life.  The  author  is  a  favorite 
writer  for  girls,  whose  previous  books  have  been  unusually  popular. 


THINGS  WILL  TAKE  A  TURN 

By  BEATRICE  HARRADEN,  Author  of  "Ships  that  Pass  in  the 
Night."  Illustrated.  12mo,  $1.00. 

It  is  the  story  of  a  sunny-hearted  child,  Rosebud,  who  assists  her 
grandfather  in  his  dusty,  second-hand  bookshop. 

LAUGH  AND  LEARN 

The  Easiest  Book  of  Nursery  Lessons  and  Nursery  Games.  By 
JENNETT  HUMPHREYS.  Charmingly  Illustrated.  Square 
8vo,  $1.25. 

"One  of  the  best  books  of  the  kind  imaginable,  full  of  practical 
teachings  in  word  and  picture,  and  helping  the  little  ones  pleasantly 
along  a  right  royal  road  to  learning." — Graphic. 

ADVENTURES   IN   TOYLAND 

By  EDITH  KING  HALL.  With  8  Colored  Plates  and  72  other 
Illustrations  by  ALICE  B.  WOODWARD.  Square  8vo,  $2.00. 

The  story  of  what  a  little  girl  heard  and  saw  in  a  toy  shop. 

NELL'S    SCHOOL    DAYS 

A  Story  of  Town  and  Country.  By  H.  P.  GETHEN.  With  4 
Illustrations,  $1.00. 

VIOLET   VEREKER'S  VANITY 

By  ANNIE  E.  ARMSTRONG.  With  6  Illustrations  by  G.  D.  HAM 
MOND.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 


BOOKS   FOR   YOUNG    PEOPLE 


GOOD  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 


BY   ALICE    CORKRAN 

DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS 

Or,  From  Good-night  to  Good-morning.  With  character  Illus 
trations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Square  crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.25. 

"  A  gem  of  the  first  water,  bearing  upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the 
signet  mark  of  genius.  .  .  .  All  is  told  with  such  simplicity  and 
perfect  naturalness  that  the  dream  appears  to  be  a  solid  reality.  It  is 
indeed  a  little  Pilgrim's  Progress." — Christian  Leader. 

MARGERY  MERTON'S  GIRLHOOD 

With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.     Crown 

8vo,  $1.25. 

The  experience  of  an  orphan  girl  who  in  infancy  is  left  by  her  father, 
an  officer  in  India,  to  the  care  of  an  elderly  aunt  residing  near  Paris. 


A  VERY  ODD   GIRL 

Life  at  the  Gabled  Farm.     By  ANNIE  E.  ARMSTRONG.     With  6 
full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  T.  DADD.     Crown,  $1.25. 

HER    FRIEND    AND    MINE 

A  Story  of  Two  Sisters.     By  FLORENCE  COOMBE.     With  3 
Illustrations  by  WM.  RAINKT.     12mo,  $1.00. 

THE    EAGLE'S    NEST 

By  S.  E.  CARTWRIGHT.     With  3  Illustrations  by  WM.  RAINEY. 
12mo,  $1.00. 

MY    FRIEND    KATHLEEN 

By  JENNIE    CHAPPELL.      With  4  Illustrations    by    JOHN    H. 
BACON.     12mo,  $1.00. 

A    DAUGHTER    OF    ERIN 

By  VIOLET  G.  FINNY.     With  4  Illustrations.     Price,  $1.00. 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

153-7  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


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